An Outlawed Romance
by JeffC FTW
Summary: With the law on his tail, a wanted man crosses paths with the tempestuous granddaughter of the rancher he finds employment under. Their forbidden chemistry is palpable. He knows he must leave for his own freedom - and for her safety - but she isn't willing to let him get away from her.
1. The Sea of Grass

**Now, I don't always enjoy a good western story, nor have I read any fics with the themes lately (certain there are in existence), so I bring my first western romance - in the form of Itachi Uchiha and his spirited love Hanaru Uzumaki. :D **

**Our favorite Uchiha is a wanted man, on the run after willingly taking blame for a murder, but then finds himself working at a Konoha ranch which is run by Tsunade - and her fierce, beautiful granddaughter. The hot-blooded Hanaru suspects him but is also ignited to her core. The more he denies their passion, the more she is willing to sacrifice to keep him in her life. Based off of a favorite Harlequin romance novel of mine, as usual!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, "The Horseman's Bride" belongs to Elizabeth Lane, but Hanaru is me and my best friend's. :3**

Chapter One

The Sea of Grass

Konoha weather at this time of year was usually unbearable, but today was nice and fresh, a few clouds in the sky but not to predict a precipitation chance. That was what Hanaru Uzumaki needed, because today would be taking Kurama out for a ride. The brown-spotted, creamy ivory stallion nickered when he saw her.

He was named after the Japanese sage of legend, so it was fitting to call him that. There wasn't a horse like him as of late, she'd been told when her father purchased him. He was also so wild that he had to be ridden by someone whose trust he could win, and somehow _she _had been the one the steed sniffed a connection with. In other words: he was all hers.

Her mother expressed concern at such a wild beast, but Minato always knew how to calm her down because their daughter had always been more level-headed than their son.

Hanaru's boots pressed down on the grass with each step she took, but the spikes would raise back up because the soles were soft. She opened the door to his stall and let him out before getting his saddle and the reins to loop around his back and through his teeth. "Morning to you, big boy," she said, kissing him on the neck.

Why was she still home on the ranch? She could have gone to college and done bigger things with her future, or even get married like some of her and her brothers' friends, but they were both here. Hanaru wanted to take care of the horses and the ranch, and Naruto was working his tail off at school while dating Hinata Hyuuga, whose family owned a much larger farm land than the Uzumakis. Not that it mattered, anyway.

Hanaru was twenty years old now. She had every intention to live up not only for her family, but for herself.

It wasn't long before she saw it ahead after some time of galloping on the big boy. Her grandma's farm lay ahead. Tsunade Senju - her maiden name she preferred keeping as opposed to Uzumaki, right after the passing of her husband - lived here alone well after Jiraiya's death, despite the pleas of her son and daughter-in-law to move and live with them, though the old woman had a lava-burning fist of wills and caved in not. Only at her age, she was at risk of something happening to her, so why didn't she say yes now while there was still life to live?

As soon as Hanaru arrived and jumped off of Kurama, leading him forward, it was then that she noticed something very...peculiar. That fence which had barbed wires - the last time she saw it, there were broken places which risked the horses breaking out, due to years of being rusted, and now it looked like it had been repaired.

And some people said her eyes were like hawk's eyes.

Just then, Kurama, sensing a new presence, nickered and backed up, jerking his reins from her hold. Yelping, Hanaru regained them and held him in place, softly whispering, "It's okay, boy, it's okay."

"I don't think your friend likes me," a new voice said, making her turn around, and she stiffened at what she saw. The male that stood before her was in a red-and-black checkered shirt, torn jeans, and had long, black hair kept in a tight bun which she thought was odd but interesting - and in an aristocratic face, honeyed from being in the sun and with a light stubble, was a pair of shining onyx black eyes. Beneath them were slanted lines, giving him the appearance of a weasel while hinting experience beyond his years.

"You should rephrase that," Hanaru replied coolly, keeping her guard up just to be safe, but there didn't seem to be anything dangerous about him. _Maybe he fixed the fence if Grandma Tsunade didn't. _"What brings you to come onto Senju and Uzumaki land?" It was then that she noted how his eyes roamed over her, taking in her denim shirt which buttoned in the front and had plaid sleeves of blue and black, but still nothing bordering on lust. Just plain curiosity.

"Mrs. Senju hired me," he answered, voice different than any male accent she heard. "As you've seen -" He gestured to the perfect layers of barbed wire. "- I fixed the fence for her."

"Whose idea?"

"It was all mine. But just who are you exactly, young lady?"

Hanaru huffed and put one hand on her hip. "I happen to be her granddaughter. This fence has been broken in this place since Grandpa passed away. Why now?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What does it matter? The least you can do is thank me that it is restored to its former glory," he snapped. "I came here for a job, and your _grandmother _told me to just repair whatever needs it, and this was the first I came across upon arrival." His attention then diverted back to Kurama who continued to watch him intently.

"Kurama is one of the smartest beasts you'll ever meet today," Hanaru told him, smirking and patting the animal on the back of his neck. "And protective, too."

He returned the smirk. "I have a horse of my own, too - a stallion of dark chocolate and a black mane. I wish we could pit our beasts against each other just for the fun," he said. There wasn't a hint of condescending, but decency now. Her infuriation went down by only a little bit - but that didn't mean her guard was lowered.

_This guy is in need of money, of course. That would have been obvious if he never said it to my face. Although, who the hell is he and what business does he have with my grandmother?_

He had come to stand beside her, boldly daring to reach up and pet Kurama's snout. Surprisingly, the horse seemed to take a liking to him, though she knew her prize better than anyone. "He is truly magnificent," the man said softly, running his hand along the animal's surface, eventually reaching the back of the neck...and right where her hand was.

That was when HIS hand bumped into hers, and the warm shock coursed through her skin. What the - what the hell just happened? She didn't know him, and yet this...

Hanaru really tried not to think about the fact this man could be a criminal and break in to cut her grandmother's throat during the night. She could stay in this house until she found out, and that was what she'd do.

~o~

Hard work broke the sweat out; he reached to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt to let air in, exposing the arrowhead below his throat in the process. _Protection, courage and strength right here. _

He opened the fence for her to lead the stallion inside, still watching her. He'd seen her from the moment he was putting the tools back in place, having recognized her, because the first night at the dinner table, Tsunade Senju spoke highly of her granddaughter and even her grandson who had one more year left of school before he attended community college - and was dating the Hyuuga heiress. And just as the old woman warned him about, that pretty little mouth was loud to match, and he suspected she was spoiled - a hardworking spoiled brat, at that.

_And extremely, uniquely attractive. Something I cannot afford. _

Yet it didn't stop him from taking in her appearance, from first the red-streaked golden curls to the vivid crystalline blue eyes, the full mouth, and downward to where the soft denim cradled her pert breasts. The image of cream peaked with strawberry nipples entered his mind, and damn it, so the temperature in his groin rose. He had to shove it all aside and remind himself of keeping the belt and button closed. Because he was on the run and would NOT break this one's heart...and her grandmother would no doubt want to cut his member off with her kitchen knife.

His hand touching hers as he caressed her beast only made it worse. He tried to distract himself by looking at the large turquoise cuff around her wrist, but it made him mentally curse.

"So, what is your name?" Hanaru Uzumaki asked when she was behind the fence, loosening her horse's reins.

"...Tashi." That was his alias, which old Tsunade also knew about. He'd considered "Tachi" originally, but it would have given away a close hint as to who he truly was. "And your grandmother told me about you, Miss Uzumaki."

She laughed. "Of course she would. What else did she mention?"

_That you never resisted riding anything on four legs. _Suddenly, a different kind of "riding" invaded his conscious, and he almost hissed. But when he answered what was on his thoughts, she snorted but didn't deny it, either. She turned her attention behind him, and he followed it, seeing the view of shiny, waving green grass, and the dotting of yellow, purple, white and orange wildflowers. It made him think about taking advantage of enjoying what days of freedom he had before he would move on to the next place...

And more questions, such as the name of his horse he spoke of. He never thought of a name, since he was keeping the brute temporarily, but she insisted. "Maybe you should name him something like Son Gokū, after the monkey king himself." Itachi suppressed rolling his eyes, yet on the other hand, it wasn't a terrible idea. "And is it okay that I asked how you acquired him?"

His patience was starting to ebb, but he would humor her. "He was my brother's." He would be relieved when he was gone after his payment was given, and if he was lucky, he could make it to perhaps the smaller town of Kusa where no one gave a damn who you were in the past. "And if you're wondering how I was employed by your grandmother, I was passing by and looking for a job; as long as I do what I am supposed to, she feeds well." He allowed himself to smile at her. "She's a fine, strong woman, Mrs. Senju."

"Oh, hell to the yeah," she agreed, pushing her hair behind her ears. "But she may be able to still take care of herself, while we have the saying: you mess with someone in our family, you mess with _all _of us." Itachi couldn't resist chuckling. It was similar to how it was with his own family.

But beneath that humor was the warning: _you had better not take advantage of Grandma, or I'll slit your throat myself. _

It made him think back to the death of his father: the image of Fugaku laying in a pool of his own blood, but regrettably, the second shot should have been where a man hurt the most. It was no less than he deserved for how he treated his wife and two sons all their lives.

When Itachi chose to run away from home after saving Mikoto and Sasuke, he had planned on using the bullet train or even hitch hiking, only to find that the horse from Fugaku Uchiha's stable was far easier and safer, as well as faster in some cases. In addition, this one developed an amount of respect for him in return.

His thoughts were once more interrupted when Hanaru began to walk away from him, leading her horse - whom she said was named Kurama - towards his place within the small barn. Unwittingly, there was more of her to look at: her rounded buttocks accentuated by the ripped jeans, her fiery hair gloriously swaying with each stride. She had an hourglass shape, being very thin but full in the chest and hips.

She took him inside, and then she gasped when she saw the one she helped name Son Gokū - "He's _amazing!_" Her hands flew to her cheeks then and there, and Kurama snorted before nudging her behind the shoulder to get her attention. Laughing again, she continued by taking him over to where there was a pail of fresh apples waiting for him, and he was impressed that she managed to feed him one, calling him good boy while he was doing it. "Come and feed him one yourself, Mr. Tashi," Hanaru offered, and he couldn't refuse. This was one greedy fellow, and he shared a laugh with her.

"You know, Grandma must have told you plenty about me. What can you say about yourself?"

He had to be extremely careful with how he answered her. "Grew up in Tokyo, but my parents passed on not that long ago. No other relatives besides my younger brother and his girlfriend who have their own business than to worry about the likes of me." The latter of which was true; Sasuke planned on marrying Sakura Haruno when she completed her nursing school time and he himself finished at the best university in Tokyo, in a few years at most. His regret was that he wasn't going to be the best man as he promised.

She sure was a suspicious one, wasn't she? "I see. So, you're just drifting now. Can't say that I trust that sort. My grandmother isn't all that trusting, so I hope I'm not too nosy. I told you of how protective we are of each other."

"So you did," Itachi answered. "You don't have to worry about your grandmother; if it's any consolation, that shotgun she keeps at all times is enough to avoid having my ass receiving two bullets." One in each? That would hurt a thousand times like hell. Miss Hanaru smirked.

"Maybe I could do that job myself one day if she doesn't." One more way to describe her, which began to rub off on him: _spitfire._

~o~

Part of her wondered more about this mysterious Tashi; he didn't even give her a last name, taking her back to the old days when the commonfolk were unimportant and didn't need a surname like the nobility and warrior classes.

Never mind how _handsome _he was. Forget about his broad shoulders and those irises of onyx fire, the long hair behind his head like that, or the sun-kissed expanses of flesh. Or even his voice which was low and rich like dark chocolate. Or the way he looked at her now; anyone who glanced at her, or even her mother and grandmother - in Tsunade's younger days - would be asking for a buckshot to either his ass or his manhood. Or a simple punch to the jawbone.

Not knowing this man was exactly the reason it was safe to call him dangerous, since he had the look of one with many things to hide. He spoke of dead parents, a brother and said brother's girlfriend, but that was it. He was drifting and working odd jobs, refusing to say more. Unspoken that his business was his own, and when he was done with her grandmother's ranch, he was off to wherever.

Hanaru decided she was done interrogating him, because there was no doubt he had his hackles on the rise. She could ask him more if there was ever another chance. Play the cards carefully, Mama Kushina always said.

_I could always talk to Dad, but he has a plate full as it is. Better handle this myself. And no way in hell should I bring my hyperactive little brother into this. _

But knowing Naruto, he made _anything _his business.

She found herself meeting the black-haired brown beauty that was Mr. Tashi's stallion, and he said it had been his brother's. She was too entranced by the sheer perfection to even think straight in the moment. If her dad saw this brute, he would say what she was thinking: _he's perfect for mating with any one of our own for the mating season. _

She left Tashi - he asked her to not call him mister - where he was and chose to go up the path to her grandma's house, and there she found her sitting on that rocking chair which Grandpa Jiraiya carved himself long ago, still in great condition. Tsunade Senju was a bombshell back in the day, with the breasts of legend, according to the men who ended up getting broken and bleeding noses if they made those remarks. But now her light blonde hair which she kept in two low pigtails was bordering on white, and her forehead was heavily wrinkled while her jaw was angular. Her huge breasts were lower than they used to be.

Minato looked like neither parent, and wonder why? He was adopted. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade lost a baby due to complications, and therefore weren't lucky to conceive again, so they adopted. Minato was orphaned as a very young child, but he was just like their own.

Honeyed amber eyes looked up from peeling the potatoes from the grown patch behind the property. These were _jaga-imo_, first imported from Indonesia to Nagasaki before the fifteenth century. Originally, they were used as ornamental plants, as decor instead of food. The food crops didn't happen until the early 1700s, having been grown in Hokkaido, and it was a backup much later when rice crops were endangered - especially up north.

"There's my girl," Tsunade said when she allowed a smile to grace her face. "I was just thinking about you." Even after burying her husband and a baby long ago, keeping up this farm on her own - with her family coming to help occasionally - the hot-tempered woman wasn't a full-blown fuse like she used to be, but calm and serene only to be provoked when someone unwelcomed came along.

"Let me help you with that," Hanaru said, rushing up the porch steps and into the house, coming back with another knife to peel the potatoes with her grandmother. It was then that she noticed the glittering little thing on the small ceramic white dish at the chair's heels. Something that could have been from an exotic location but actually came from the United States - specifically Oregon. It was a sunstone, shifting from grassy green to golden sunrays, hinted with bits of lava red; it was placed within an ornate crown setting.

Jiraiya gave that ring to her for their twenty-fifth anniversary slash vow renewal.

But even now that she was here, Hanaru was still wondering how to ask her grandmother about the new hired man, when Tsunade asked how everyone at home was. "Oh, Naruto is still hitting it off with Hinata," she answered with a laugh, to which the elder mirrored.

"Both of them are matched. They say two suns burn so hotly together until both of them go out at once. That means they'll last until they both die together, which isn't something you see every day, Hanaru. Seems like yesterday he had nothing better to do other than complain as he pulled at my dress for everything."

Hanaru agreed with that, since she and her best friend Temari Sabaku got together and agreed her brother and the Hyuuga beauty were made for each other, like her grandma said. She picked up another potato and peeled it before dropping it into the kettle...only to be startled by the question which might have heard what she was thinking.

"And yourself? I take it you met my new..." Tsunade's eyes sparkled just like the sun rays. "...hired man, Tashi?"

The heat was on her cheeks, which was something Grandma noticed with amusement. "Yeah, and I saw he fixed the fence. It was really nice of him, since it's been down since after Grandpa died. But why didn't you ask Dad or Naruto?" Hanaru asked.

The old woman shrugged. "You know your dad is a busy man, and that brother of yours has better things right now to worry about before he can full-time worry about the grounds."

"So, instead this strange drifter comes along. Honestly, Grandma, you raised us all to be careful about hiring someone we just met. He might be a gentleman, but even gentlemen have something to hide. What if he's a crook or a murderer - or _both?_" _Oh, no, I think I went too far. Those eyes are narrowing. _

"Oh, I did think about that, but what could he possibly snatch from me? The sake bottle collection I still have after all these years? My kimono and dresses?" Tsunade snorted and made it halfway around the next potato. "And no one will steal my money from me, and no one knows the safe in the house besides you and me. Besides, Tashi doesn't strike me as that kind of man you're implying at all. And just as much, he won't intend to stay very long. Until he makes a little money, he'll be out of my hair." She sighed and leaned back. "It was pleasant to have him at the dinner table, engaging in such simple company. I couldn't tell him _enough_ about you, baby."

Not that it didn't make her feel good, but Hanaru couldn't shake off her concerns. _Maybe it's just womanly intuition, but until I get something, no way in hell is my guard going to be lowered. I'll see it through to the end._

She let the conversation drop for the time being.

**Itachi's arrowhead necklace: Historically, jasper was considered a sacred and powerful protection stone. Wearing a hand-carved arrowhead, as a talisman around your neck, was a symbol of protection, courage and strength. **

**Naruto Wiki: "**_**Son Gokū**_** (****孫悟空****) is the Japanese on'yomi rendering for 'Sun Wukong', the iconic legendary character from the classic Chinese novel **_**Journey to the West **_**known as the Monkey King and is also used for the character with the same name from the Dragon Ball series. Kishimoto was mainly inspired to create Son based on the aforementioned version of Sun Wukong/Son Gokū, which is referenced in its design resembling the Ōzaru form, the inherited Dragon Ball that has four stars in it, and having a master named Rōsh****i."**

_**Jaga-imo**_** are Japanese potatoes, originated in the Americas and introduced in Nagasaki in 1598, brought in by Dutch traders from Indonesia. Then, they were called **_**jagatora-imo,**_** but are shortened to the term **_**jaga-imo **_**today. **_**Imo **_**is the term for potato-like vegetables. **

**For those of you who haven't read "The Horseman's Bride", I am following certain events, paraphrased as much as possible if not everything, and some things will change. Hope you liked this first chapter, and reviews are appreciated. :D**


	2. Dog Day Afternoon

**I honestly cannot believe I am on a roll with this story. XD Very first time doing a tale like this, and with a pair I have written for in the last THREE YEARS, lol.**

**I also thought to now mention that several chapters will be named after titles from the TCM channel, which is something I also did with a fic of mine that's near completion, "An Offer She Cant Refuse" (ItaSaku). This is the second of many (I had gone back to the previous chapter to change the title). **

Chapter Two

Dog Day Afternoon

Was there really anything bad to say about Tsunade's house? All these _hibachi_ dishes, lacquerware with scenery, as well as the lingering tatami mats along with western-style furniture - she could have had updates, but all of this was everything important to keeping precious memories alive. This was family history and worth passing on.

_Grandma and Grandpa really painted this picture of almost six decades - if he were still here. _

Hanaru walked past all of it, bringing the potatoes into the kitchen, filling their kettle with water and a little bit of salt, placing them on the stove and turning it on to boil. She stayed next to it with her back against the counter. And when she did, there were all those photographs of the family. Among were Nawaki, Grandma Tsunade's younger brother, who died young when he was in the army. There was also her and Jiraiya's wedding photograph - and that wedding dress was a vintage western style, still safely in its box somewhere in this house - and beside it were them with their son, Minato, when he was maybe twelve years old.

And finally, there were two others which also made the difference to the collection: first being Minato and his future wife, Kushina, on their first date. Next was them with both their children, Hanaru and Naruto.

Naruto looked every bit like their father, having the shockwave hair and bright blue eyes, while his features were more like their mom's. Hanaru got all of that, too, but her hair inherited the tomato-red highlights which was said to be "odd but attractive".

Thinking about her appearance made her reflect back to the time that her mother and grandmother both showed her that dress of antique lace from the American southwest, imported to this part of Japan - the large bust being edited for a smaller size of the next generation, never going out of style - and told her that one day, it would be her turn, and she was happy to accept it, except her chance hadn't yet come. Her best friend was going to get married next year to one of Naruto's friends, but Hanaru herself had been more into horses and less ladylike things rather than boys. She had some dance partners before, but while they were all kind and courteous, none of them were exciting and interesting. They were too comfortable with their boxes to even be tested by the likes of her. And now this new man, this mysterious stranger with long black hair and matching, intense eyes...

It was then and there that she heard the voices and assumed automatically that Grandma and Tashi were in conversation, but when she finally stepped outside and was halfway on the porch, she realized to her own stupidity that she should have grabbed Tsunade's rifle. The old woman and two strange men were right there, the latter pair riding bareback atop a spotty, drooping gray-and-white horse. One was hooded and had the lower half of his face covered by a cloth, his scary green eyes visible. The one in front of him, holding a cocked rifle, was silver-haired and had magenta eyes as well as a weird triangle-within-a-circle charm over his exposed, muscled chest.

_Oh, God...Tashi, where are you?!_

Tsunade's voice was hard, but wavering. "Hanaru, it's best you go inside NOW." Except it was too late for that, because the one in front licked his lips at the sight of her and cackled.

"Old woman, shut that hole in your face. Baby, you look good enough to eat. Why don't you do us both a favor and show us your treats?" His partner behind him groaned and closed his eyes.

"Hidan, you fool. I didn't come here to be witness to your perversion. We came for that damned -"

"Oh, shut it, Kakuzu!" the silver-haired man named Hidan growled, turning his face halfway. "Fun first for me, and then we can get down to business, damn it." That one really had a hell of a mouth on him. He turned his attention back onto her, when she was doing what he "asked" of her.

But she first hesitated, until her grandmother was threatened with getting the bullet between her eyes. Then her fingers numbly but hastily began to work on her denim shirt. That rifle was likely something used on the hunt, but it was nothing fatal on humans - except close-range. _How the hell am I going to save our lives?! I can't take a chance and turn to run back up the porch for Grandma's -!_

Eventually, she got her chest exposed all the way down, covered with a light blue, padded sports bra. It also revealed her favorite necklace which was a smaller version of her bracelet; the turquoise was free-formed as if freshly plucked from the earth, on a chain of a few golden beads. And seeing that made Hidan's tongue wag; no doubt he would end up being the one to violate her after passing the weapon to his partner behind him, to keep it on poor Tsunade who was turning red and steaming out the ears. And where the hell was that goddamned Tashi when you needed him?!

"STOP IT!" Tsunade roared when Hanaru finally reached beltline, not keen on getting down to the rest of her underwear. "You bastards, you can have anything in the house but my granddaughter! You wouldn't put your hands on an innocent girl, would you?" Her words only made them both laugh.

"Old woman," the cowled one, Kakuzu, growled, "we don't take offers or orders, and I doubt anything in that shack will be worth turning a profit. However..." His mossy eyes glimmered. "...we will take that fine-looking horse I have seen from this view. Might be a good ride, then a good sell."

Oh, no damned way in the lowest pits of hell were they gonna take _Kurama_ if she had anything to say about it. On impulse, blood pumping fire, Hanaru lashed out, springing between her grandmother and the two men on the horse, but not before she managed to take up the knife from the porch, holding it up. It was the best weapon she could manage, small chance it would be against a gun that would hurt fatally in close-range. "If you shitheads so much as come near us AND my horse, you'll both be gutted like stuck pigs!" Hanaru snarled, pushing her hair behind one shoulder.

"Ah, ha, what a feisty little vixen." Hidan chortled. "I think I'm gonna show a thing or two -" He was cut off when a loud gunshot blew into the air, out of the blue, and causing the horse he was on with his partner to whinny in fright, and it ended up throwing both men off and onto the ground. Which meant the hunting rifle was out of Hidan's hands; he and Kakuzu looked behind them to see who interrupted their fun, and so did Hanaru and Tsunade.

"If I were you two imbeciles, I would drop your weapons and raise your hands to the sky - or I'll blow your brains to the Nakano River."

Tashi spoke with icy authority, calm and collected but bubbling like lava beneath the ice. He had been hiding in the toolshed, and came out with a sleek revolver in his hand. Hidan leered at him. "Asshole, this ain't your business. We were only having some harmless fun with the ladies. Who the hell are you to poke that punk nose of yours in?" A raise of a thin eyebrow was the answer.

"You were just boasting when you said you were having fun, but I know entertainment when I see it - and I assure you, gentlemen, that it was FAR from harmless. Now, if I were you, I would stand up where you are and drop your knives besides the guns," Tashi snarled, and he. Meant. Business. He'd shoot them both in a heartbeat if they didn't comply. _Just shows that stoic is scarier than with obvious emotions. _It made her spine shiver that it wasn't funny.

The two men did just what he said, both scowling, and Tsunade took this advantage to slip into the house for her rifle. Hanaru, however, was too rooted to realize that her shirt was still unbuttoned, until the man himself took note and cleared his throat. "Hanaru, if you're done daydreaming, then perhaps you can help by taking their knives." _You smug bastard, you're enjoying this, aren't you? _So she hurried to close her shirt up before doing as he told her, as well as getting that gun. Her grandmother came back in no time. "Tsunade, what do you want me to do? Blow them to kingdom come for you?"

She laughed, cocking the rifle at them both. "Nah, that would have been my job." Her eyes glittered. "Think it's best to keep their smelly asses locked up in the granary and then let me call the police."

Hanaru spotted the slight twitch of muscle in the jaw, which meant hesitation. This added to her thoughts about what kind of man he could really be, despite the fact he came to their aid. He didn't want to be seen by the assistant commissioner and his officers.

But before anything could happen, Hidan who was the more vicious of the two had secretly hidden another blade within a boot - and it struck out to hit the target which was Tashi's left shoulder. She heard herself screaming even before that, but it was too late.

Tashi hissed and swore. "DAMN IT!" His hold on his gun remained in place while his hand lowered. Hanaru took it upon herself to hurry away from the two ruffians and their horse they made their getaway for, standing beside the wounded man with the snatched knives and rifle in both hands. Tsunade growled through her teeth and raised her rifle at the outlaws, firing at them but not hitting. The shot went overhead, as a warning, and sent them galloping far away. Watching them go, Hanaru finally let the stolen weapons hit the ground, both blades hilt side up as they stabbed the grass. Her grandmother exhaled and went up the porch steps to collapse in the chair, laying her rifle across her lap with the safety back on.

And that left Tashi, with his shoulder now beginning to bleed. That had to be taken care of and _fast. _So, she brought him up the porch steps just as Tsunade rose back to her feet, leaving the rifle on the floor between the chair itself and the door, saying she was going to get the equipment and anything to stop the bleeding.

He had his good arm wrapped around her, but staggered a little in his steps as she helped him. He felt so warm to her, almost comforting so, and a little damp from being in the sun - and beneath was hard muscle from labor. It caused her own skin to simmer a little. He sat down in the rocking chair, taking shallow breaths and sometimes looking down at the blade which was still lodged in the space between his shoulder blade and muscle. Tsunade also saw this, pausing and announcing it could be a good time to call the cops, and it made Tashi stiffen a little. He looked up at her, but avoided direct eye contact.

"Why waste our breath? I have no doubt they will be halfway to the next nation in the time it will take the assistant commissioner to get here. And besides, they are unarmed and would want nothing more than to escape from here. They'll think twice before returning," he told her with a strained smirk and a twinkle in those eyes.

_There's also a chance they will try to rob - or actually do it to someone else. _But Hanaru had to agree with him. And while he talked, she found herself studying more of his profile: that lightly stubbled jaw which was tense now, and his onyx eyes which narrowed at the remote thought of the assistant police commissioner being here. Her ear was close enough to almost hear his heartbeat increasing, like he was secretly nervous.

If Grandma phoned the police, he might just slip away and be gone for good - and he had just saved their skins. That also meant his beautiful horse would vanish, and his injury could possibly kill him in his escape. So, she found herself saying, "Grandma, I think he's right. If they're far away from the assistant commissioner's jurisdiction, then he can't do much other than complain about time being wasted."

Tashi's eyes flashed. She could read gratitude, skepticism, and a myriad of questions he was dying to ask - just like she.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at first, then exhaled sharply. "Oh, you both make sense, but it bothers me that they will get away. I considered aiming lower, but I could have gotten that poor horse." She then opened the screen door to scurry into the house for what she said she would find.

Hanaru was alone with him, but at the moment, there was nothing she could do to wipe the blood away, as it was darkening his red-and-black shirt. "You don't have to do this for me, you know," he grumbled, making her snap.

"You can do me a favor by not being so stuck up about this. You know you can barely stand up, and if you passed out on the grass, I would have taken more than three buckets of water to wake your ass up. Now, I'm going to get you something to drink - how does whisky sound?"

Whisky was more potent than regular Scotch, and Grandma Tsunade kept that stuff for medicinal purposes. Tashi grunted his answer while clutching at his arm, fingers wrapping around the area below the nasty wound. She hurried then and there to find the half-empty bottle of amber liquid which her grandmother kept in the green wooden cabinet where the other liquor was - and accepted a pillow that was old but clean - and came back with haste to get to work on him.

She could still hear him cursing as she was gone and then returned to his side. She took that to mean he was braving himself for the pain, which was something she understood. But the swearing wasn't all there was: he thought to go ahead and take the blade out. "STOP!" she shouted, hurrying to kneel in front of him, and her grandmother had reappeared behind her.

Tashi hissed at her, black eyes ablaze. "Give me the damned whisky already," he growled, and while she understood the agony he was in, she had enough of his pride. He scowled when he saw how little there was left. "Is that all there is?!"

Tsunade smirked and folded her arms across her chest. "I like to have a good drink, but not from that. I've kept that bottle for eight years and only for medicinal use."

"You heard her, so lie back and let me disinfect," Hanaru told him, glad he listened to her, though if Grandma wasn't here, no doubt there'd be more insults and time wasted, and who the hell knew what would happen.

From what she saw, the blade was three inches in, but that didn't mean nothing important wasn't struck. She also got him to bite down on a cloth from the kitchen, warning it would hurt like hell more than it was, and he snapped at her to get it over with. Scoffing, she angrily ripped away the shirt fabric, revealing the flesh area around the target. And with one last warning, she took it between her fingers to yank it out harshly.

Tashi sharply gasped, and then laid his head back down against the pillow. He took several shallow breaths to try and console himself.

Hanaru dropped the bloody knife onto the porch, as it was the most disgusting thing she ever held. "Oh, God, I would let that wound bleed more, because who the hell knows what was on that knife," Tsunade grumbled. She managed to kneel beside Tashi who looked up at her with gratitude, being on one knee. At her age, her joints hadn't betrayed her yet. "More filth out, lesser chances of spreading like a virus. I've handled much worse, girl. But if things are more than we can handle, it's off to the doctor for him." His eyes widened at the mention of the town physician, for he hissed out his objections, making her snort. "Oh, we'll see about that." Tsunade set about cleaning up that bleeding wound and then dropping the rags onto the rocking chair for now, standing up and grunting. "Hanaru, you take care of the rest while I get the porridge and the herbs ready."

~o~

When he was healed and away from here by the time he got his earnings, he was going to miss Mrs. Senju, but it was either to keep moving or face death by getting a needle in his arm. As long as the price was on his head, nothing for him would last forever - including her tempestuous granddaughter.

_At least Mom and Sasuke will be fine._

Fugaku Uchiha, his father, had been a great catch for Mikoto when she married him twenty-five years ago. He ran a farm equipment business, intending to one day pass it onto his eldest son - which would now befall on Sasuke - and he was charming if cool and aloof. Which eventually led to the revelation of his alcoholism and unfaithfulness as soon as the rings were exchanged, and sometimes abuse when his wife least expected it. Mikoto's life was a living hell, and no longer would she make excuses for him. Itachi had always known about the bruises and bloody cuts to the lips, but Sasuke remained blissfully unaware, thinking all of those minor wounds were "accidents"...until that night when he and their mother were free. He and his brother were there to dry her tears and clean her injuries up, but now those days were over.

Neither brother were sorry the man they had no right to call father was gone now, but sometimes, Itachi wished he had the power to act sooner, and if he had, then he would be there now to be Sasuke's best man. Hell, he could have gotten a desk job in the army after being out in the field for four years prior, now that Fugaku couldn't make the choice for him.

Besides Sasuke being a far better man than their father, their mother was a respected widow and also had a cozy, relaxing spot and had the choice to remarry another man who would treat her better than the man she thought had been the ONE. Someone who should have been her boys' father.

He had been surprised in the present when that girl appeared as a defiant little feline against two unwelcomed mongrels. He was in the shed looking for timbers when he heard the commotion, and it took precious hell's time until he found his gun before rushing to help the women.

That was when he saw her: her shirt gaped open to reveal her proud breasts behind a firm, elastic fabric, and all she had to threaten those criminals with was the knife she'd used to carve potatoes. He thought it amusing, but also intriguing. Hanaru Uzumaki was a real woman, and that bravery earned his respect that day...except the image of her chest was enough to dry his mouth and would haunt his dreams in the wettest ways imaginable.

Itachi damned himself for these thoughts, but they couldn't be taken back.

He got the knife in his shoulder when he should have known there would be another trick up one of their sleeves. Just as worse: there was no telling what dark deeds would have taken place had he'd not made his presence known. If they so much as put their hands on her and then killed her grandmother, he would have the strength of a demon from hell to rip them from limb to limb.

They got away, unarmed, but he could only hope they wouldn't identify him in the near future. If they would, then he had to jump on his horse and gallop away, but damn his condition for preventing that.

Now that Hanaru worked on him herself, getting this stained blade out, he wondered why the hell she agreed with him on not calling the police. It was either common sense of her own - or she peered into his eyes and suspected his secrets. It made his own hackles rise again as he wondered if she was just luring him into a false sense of security before she convinced her grandmother to phone the assistant commissioner...

Momentarily, he blacked out from the pain before coming back upon hearing Tsunade mention the doctor if his state didn't improve. And her granddaughter being so close enough to him didn't help matters. "You feel like hell?" she asked bluntly, making him chuckle before coughing a little.

"Yes, like hell."

"Well, you're in good hands. Grandma makes her own herbs in the old-fashioned way, and it still works. Not much money for the ones off the shelf like they have now, so unless it's necessary, she does it by hand," Hanaru explained. "And also, thanks for helping us."

"You needed it only when it became too extreme," Itachi told her with a forced smile, because he was still in pain. "And it appeared you had it under control, but you can never be too careful." _Though begs what made you act so impulsively and grab the knife._

"...you should have heard it when they said they'd take _Kurama_," she seethed. "And as long as I am here, no one takes the horse that my father gave me."

And if his ears heard right, he'd say that it was a warning - not only to the two men, but to HIM as well. "You're also warning me to not do that," he stated. "You may say what you want of me, but I assure you that I am not a thief. Plus, Son Gokū is borrowed, from my brother with his permission." He quickly halted himself right there, refusing to say too much. She seemed to want to know more but chose to drop it, and he appreciated that.

"Maybe I should also ask you something else if it's not bad timing." He quirked an eyebrow, watching as she got to dipping a bit of the whisky from the bottle and onto the clean white cloth left from her grandmother. "We have a couple new mares coming in soon, and eventually, they will need a potential mate, so when I saw your stallion, I thought he was perfect for them."

**Wiki: "Japanese whisky is a style of whisky developed and produced in Japan. Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1924 upon the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki. Broadly speaking the style of Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch whisky than other major styles of whisky."**

**Review! :D Lots o detail, I always say. **


	3. Bargain With a Devil

**I'm disappointed no one has left any reviews for this story which is such an amazing break for me. :(**

Chapter Three

Bargain With a Devil

She continued to impress and intrigue him. She chose now of all times while he was on his back to ask him a favor, and what would she do if he said no? Stick that knife in him again, but in another place?

"What if I said no, Miss Hanaru Uzumaki? Would you put that knife back in me again? Or bribe me into answering?" Itachi drawled, making her brows crease in a scowl.

"If you want money - and no, not a bribe - then we're willing to give it to you. But I really want our mares to breed, since we're on the verge of being short." She held up that cloth and warned him it was going to sting - and it sure as hell did. He gritted his teeth, but relaxed when it cooled and relaxed him. _She has healer's hands, just like her grandmother. _

Itachi had to agree that her family needed more horses, since he knew the business well back home. He supposed he couldn't say no. "Well, I wouldn't feel right in taking money just for the services of Son Gokū, especially from you and your family. Though, out of goodwill...I don't see why not," he said after a moment of pondering this over. But that would be only if he and Son Gokū were still here, and he was still set on not taking chances.

Yet when he left, her mares and the ranch would be in trouble...

"What's your condition?"

_Condition...I can't think of any at the moment. Perhaps when the time comes, it will be clear. _One thing was certain: the last thing he wanted to do was place her in harm's way. When he told her all of this, her brows relaxed, but her eyes narrowed as if not trusting him.

"It's like making a deal with the devil. And for all I know, you might be one."

She amused him so much that he had to laugh again despite the numbing pain he was in. "Miss Hanaru, would a real devil be laying on your grandmother's porch bleeding out? Son Gokū is a prize, yes, but I wish I had the papers to prove he's legal. I assure you he's everything you could ever ask for. But if you say no, it's no loss to either of us - but also no gain." Which meant he got nothing out of letting his family's horse being put to no better use such as siring a next generation, but she would also have nothing to add to the ranch. And she had no reason to let their fates be put in his hands, which was just what he thought of her, too, since she asked enough of him already.

Both of them could hear Tsunade's approaching steps, and he could hear her heartbeat as she apparently was torn between refusing him out of apprehension of the unknown ahead of them, or taking what was offered for better gain on both their parts.

"Very well...you got yourself a deal," Hanaru said with resignation, and that was the making of the deal.

~o~

While Hanaru was happy he said yes, she was still apprehensive. What was she getting herself into?

He said he couldn't think of a receiving end for him, but it sounded too good to be true, and any female would know better than that.

She remembered one time her father took her and Naruto with him out to Suna for dealing a new breed to give to some partners of his in the sand-ridden country, and the trip resulted in herself nearly being kidnapped for God knew what, and something similar happened when Hinata was snatched by thieves from Kumo who thought to put the young girl in the line of human trafficking. All of those experiences was enough to make Hanaru wary from then on, and partly affected her decision in choosing to stay on the ranch rather than go to college like her brother eventually would, and some of their friends.

But now that _Tashi _agreed to let his horse sire a new line with her family's mares, she was all the more on edge. This meant more risk than she'd taken in her life...

This man with the mysterious air - he intrigued her to no end. With that virile physique and the secretive fire within pools of black, how the hell could she even trust him? But how could she also walk away from an enormous opportunity?

She said yes just as her grandmother rejoined them with the homemade medicine, so it was too late to take the words back. This was made of a special herb that would be found up in the mountains from spring to autumn. The rarest of the species would only be available in the early and later weeks of winter. Tashi wrinkled his nose at the odor the concoction gave off; they said the best stuff not only tasted the worst, but _smelled _the worst. Tsunade triumphantly boasted the making to him. "This goes back to my grandmother's day when there were no doctors or the medicines today. I still make this because of her, and I taught my son and grandkids how to do it. Except Naruto only knows the basics instead of through and through."

"Yeah, I know how to care for both men and horses, but Grandma is the real expert," Hanaru said, knowing she was good just as much but wouldn't brag. She set about smearing the right amount over that wound, working quickly but carefully. He watched her intently, eyeing how her fingers graced over his bare flesh.

Was it her imagination, or did she glimpse something akin to _naughty thoughts _in those dark eyes which locked with hers? That was just asking for trouble.

She finished the job by wrapping the bandages around that shoulder, under his arm and back again until it was in place. "Okay, all done. What now, Grandma?" she asked, looking up at the old woman.

"Oh, his rest and my special tea," Tsunade answered, opening the screen door again, and Tashi did manage to stand back up again, needing her support once more until they were inside the house. "And Tashi, no fussing until you're strong again. You're going to have the guest bed, and that is final!" And Grandma's word was final, so you could never say no to her. Back in her springtime days, she could actually KILL a man who looked at her the wrong way, sometimes causing permanent damage if not actual death. In other words: she was scary as freaking hell.

_Yeah, you said you felt like hell, so why bother arguing when you know she's right?_

He ended up having that little room which was actually next to the kitchen, and he didn't mind at all. It was a cot with a handmade quilt, a proper window and lighting, and no lock in case he thought he could get away. Maybe that was enough to make him realize he could trust them both, since she was sure he'd been thinking something of the sort.

Now that everything was over, she realized she had to hurry and get back home, and Tsunade assured her that she would take care of the rest.

Tomorrow would she be back, and with the promised mares. If Tashi was lucky, he might start to improve by then as long as he drank Tsunade's tea and had his rest today and through the night. When she noticed the morning was ending and going on afternoon, she had thought it felt like _forever_ and reached late afternoon instead. She took Kurama back on an easy trot home. The sun was high enough now in a fiery blue sky, swearing the usual hot afternoon, though it was the last thing Hanaru thought of as she headed home.

Tashi was sleeping in that spare cot on the first level of her grandmother's house, and he'd be knocked out by the time he was finished with it; only Tsunade could create something like that to make sure the patient stayed in their place. Because he lost so much blood and could barely stand, it was for his own good. _Because if Grandma doesn't kill you for disobeying orders, maybe I can do that when I see you again._

Before she left, she found herself once again transfixed by his looks, unable to get enough of him. Those lashes against his honeyed skin, some of his hair starting to come out of the bun, and the shirt shrugged off so that she saw the chiseled masterpiece beneath. Around his throat was an arrowhead, the symbol of a warrior or just the strong at heart in general.

He was really a beautiful man, maybe even more than that stallion of his - but still, who was he and what was he hiding?

Tsunade had two great breeds of her own - one male and female - and Hanaru took it upon herself to let loose Son Gokū with them, while tomorrow, she'd bring the two in her family here. Imagine the joy Minato might show when they got next generations!

_Just pray Tashi is still here to see this happen. Or for it to happen AT ALL._

This was too much trust to put in a man who was still a complete stranger. For all she knew, he might shock her and steal the mares with him, but strangely, she knew that couldn't be his intentions. And besides, if he did go through with that, the crime would be solved by the assistant commissioner's office in a short amount of time. No way in hell would he get that far if he ran away.

She was never going to forget the first time she saw him, which was hours ago. That enchanting face of his with those eyes which entrapped her, only for his arrogance to break the spell. And to even make a bargain with him with no promise of his own until the mares and his stallion bred; she had been so out of her mind, and whatever he asked in exchange, she had to abide by her end.

_Tashi...he stepped in to help Grandma and me, but that's not alone enough to cement the fact he's a good man. Mama always said use common sense and believe the other person has an ulterior motive, because she's been there plenty of times. But Tashi - damn it, I think my heart made me not call the police. All because he is attractive, the stuff of girls' fantasies. No way I'll be a naïve girl if he's really the devil I dealt with._

Now she was home, and there it was: two stories high, painted creamy and with dark blue shutters, a beautiful orchard of peach trees and cherry blossoms which would be in season next spring, along with the vegetable and fruit gardens. The barn, its shed and stables were in the back, but from this angle, you could see what made this place a real home, since this was all she would ever need. Nothing but her family - her parents and younger brother - and these grounds.

But when Hanaru halted Kurama and jumped off him, she was conflicted about what to tell Mom and Dad. If she said too little, they would no doubt suspect she was hiding something; too much meant they would jump to overprotective mode and ride on Tsunade about hiring a strange man she didn't know about, as well as worrying another incident like those two men could happen again - or if they would be back.

Which was why Tsunade insisted she not breathe a word about what happened. _But Mom and Dad will find out sooner or later if neither of us say anything._

Hanaru saw the milling men and horses, making her remember that her father and his hired hands were bringing the cattle to the nearby mountains. That meant her dad would be out for perhaps a week or two, leaving her with Mom and Naruto, who had come back early from classes to help them and then get ready for his next date with Hinata.

It also meant that Tashi could be gone by then, if Son Gokū managed to impregnate any of the mares. If the man were gone, then there'd be no need for questions. It also left Kushina, since one parent might be easier to deal with than them both, if you were smart enough to not push the wrong buttons and answer carefully if your life depended on it.

"BIG SISTER!" Even when they were kids, Naruto would still run up to her and give her the biggest hug that threatened to shatter bones. Grunting, she rasped out that he was squishing her. "Oops, sorry! Just glad to see you and excited about tonight," he said, grinning ear to ear. "And Dad is going off with the guys, and he says that next time - since classes are done for the season - I get to go with him to help! Can you believe it?! I also get to take Hinata out for horse riding, too!"

He was really that excited that riding a horse on one of their many dates was the perfect thing to do, but then Hanaru looked past his shoulder to see their mother's face red from ear to ear, matching her hair.

Minato to the rescue. "Baby, would you please calm down for once and just let them enjoy themselves? Just for one day?" He was smiling when he said this, knowing that a simple smile was all it took to calm his hot-tempered wife down - and of course a kiss on her lips, followed by sweet words from Kushina as that was exactly how she viewed him: sweet and balancing.

Hanaru brought Kurama back to his place, with Naruto's help - he really loved the beast and sometimes begged her to let him ride him, but Kurama allowed no one but HER, firmly and strongly, which she had no control over - all the while looking over to where their parents were, saying goodbye to each other. _Even now, they still make a cute couple._ Minato's shockwave blond hair was now matted down, streaked a little with white, and his face was lightly leathered from being in the sun. Kushina was a lush image with hair red as a tomato, eyes violet like jewels, and her figure gained some more curves after two children - and a harsher temperament, too, which made Hanaru worry about any potential grandkids being under her thumb.

After two decades of marriage, it was a miracle they still survived.

"There's my girl!" Minato took her into another bear hug, though tenderly compared to her brother and that of her mother. "I know I can count on you to look after things while I'm gone. And don't worry, Naruto; I promise you'll go with us again next time. You got all summer."

Happy and honored as it made her, she felt a pang of guilt because she was keeping a secret behind his back. All she could do was keep her fingers crossed that everything would work out.

He and Kushina shared a long, heartfelt kiss as a result of childhood friendship that blossomed into what it was now - then parting only to return, welcoming back with opened arms as if it had been a lifetime. Naruto's face turned red as much as she knew hers did. "That could be you and Hinata someday, and your kids will witness the same thing as you," Kushina told him teasingly, pinching his cheeks and making him squeak like the little boy he used to be. It was so good to be able to laugh - and the rough energy from earlier vanished immediately from Hanaru.

_Grandma also loves to say that the past is only water beneath the bridge. It won't go away, but it exists to remind you about the present and the future._

~o~

The dream was enough to bolt him to awareness. The same dream that haunted him every night ever since he left home.

He was still in the same room as before, the moonlight peering in through the gauzy curtains that were draped there despite the screens being traditional _shoji_, pushed aside to let in some breeze. _Those damned curtains being there just for show. _His body was chilled, his skin like paper, and he remembered the pain in his shoulder which reminded him of the now extracted knife.

This room was Tsunade's sewing and medicinal room. She insisted he sleep here until he was recovered. His boots were missing, his shirt removed, but his pants remained. It didn't seem that her mysterious remedy fully worked its wonders, but could he chance remaining here any longer until he healed?

He remembered every detail of the dream: _riding across on Son Gokū__, but he had no name at the time. Riding across to slowly catch up with the bullet train that made its way out of the town. If he were lucky, he could reach someplace like Kusa. The opened fields would help him get far enough, but then he'd have to catch another train and let his horse be put amongst others until they found the next field to pass through. By now, the authorities would find his car in his family's driveway and his "fingerprints" on the murder weapon, then issue roadblocks and wanted ads..._

The madness of that night drove him to want to leave, the shock of how everything changed in a heartbeat, and how the moon seemed blurry if not by the midnight clouds.

He was too uncomfortable now to go back to sleep, but he just laid there as he couldn't find his boots, a new shirt, or his guns anywhere. It must mean that Tsunade took them in case he thought to move in his condition. She was one tough old bird, and one who deserved respect.

Itachi craned his neck to look up at the quarter moon which was very bright tonight; he could hear the insects chirping, the cries of wild dogs out there. There was also nickering of the horses - Son Gokū with the old woman's pair. Hearing that reminded him again to saddle up and get the hell out of dodge, but he couldn't even find his belongings. Therefore, it was not practical.

Tomorrow was going to be Tuesday, which was when Tsunade would make the trip to town; it made him on edge. There could be chances she'd report to the assistant commissioner about the attempted robbery despite his warnings, and what if the man or woman showed the _wanted_ posters that were there?

If you asked about his appearance, he was letting himself grow somewhat of a beard, and he changed his hairstyle from a ponytail to the bun it was now. He didn't have it in himself to chop the locks off. Those posters were mostly all over the bigger towns, like back home. Imagine if Tsunade learned the hired man she believed she could trust was wanted for _murder..._

He chose to wait until she left for town, and then he'd pack up and hop on Son Gokū to flee. And when she returned with or without the law, he was gone like a speck of dust in the road...

...but that would also leave the sensuous Miss Uzumaki without the stallion to help breed her two mares. He had no choice but to break the promise and leave her to find another to help her. No offense to her, but a beauty like her wasn't worth to stay and be apprehended.

Itachi Uchiha decided that he needed a few more hours to sleep before he carried out his mission.

~o~

The day had come, and she was getting out the mares, Matatabi and Kokuō, right after breakfast was over, when the sun was at its highest peak in the morning. All she could hope was that things would work, and the finest foals would be bred. _Too bad these girls are real bitches when they go into heat - no different than us women during our periods. _

"If this handsome guy doesn't make you head over heels, I have no idea what will," Hanaru told him, riding them out of the barn on chocolate-colored Shukaku, a gelding, and both girls were attached to a leading rope. But they never got to leave the barn all the way when a stern face framed with blazing red hair which seemed to flare up in the back like real fire appeared before them.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing today, Hanaru Uzumaki?" Kushina asked, eyes like white balls which belonged to a doll or a DEMON. She gulped inside, keeping calm and mentally assuring herself that everything would be fine.

"Just going back to see Grandma. She has a man doing some temporary work for her, and he's got this...fantastic stallion I think could help us. I'm bringing the girls over to leave with him until breeds come."

Just as she expected, Kushina was on her infamous high alerts. Her eyes returned to normal, but she was still steaming out the ears. "You said there is a _MAN _at your grandmother's?! Just what is he doing there, and what was Tsunade _thinking_?"

_Well, Mom sure is taking this "well". _"He's here just to fix and mend, and then eventually be off. He seems he may be trustworthy enough, and Grandma thinks so, too." Except that trust had limits unless he proved her wrong, and Kushina seemed to figure that out, for her mother folded her arms across her chest.

"I figure that, but a _stranger _of all things!" The redhead huffed, puffing her chest out. "Perhaps I should just come over there with you and give that man a word or two if he thinks to try anything funny." Except her method of "talking" meant a good slap to the face if not aggressively when threatened. "Your grandma and her means of doing everything herself at her age. Ugh, if only I didn't have to go off to handle the loans for the house. Plus, I'll be driving for a meeting of the Konoha Community Center; we have a new member who has a couple young children, and they really need a place to just feel welcome." Because Japan was not a country for single parents, especially women who were divorced or just never married, and Hanaru always thought it was unfair. "But, sweetheart -" Kushina calmed down enough to pick up with the interrogation. "- what is this new hired hand like?"

"He's a real...gentleman." _Most of the time. _"Believe me, Mama, when I say I don't trust him all the way yet, but he's given no real reason yet." This satisfied the elder woman.

"Just please be careful. I wouldn't want to be around a man like that alone; at least keep a knife on you if he traps you. Or Grandma's rifle," Kushina added with a wink.

_Because men like that could be really dangerous. Totally. But God, Mom, why do you sometimes still treat me like a child? I'm twenty now and have been breaking and training horses with Dad's help since I became a teenager. Plus, I know how to also manage the money like you guys. And you still tell me when to be home. _

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate anything; they almost lost her a long time ago in Suna. Just like it influenced her decisions now, it affected them just as much in trying to make sure she was safe. And because of that, when she finally rode Shukaku and the girls down the path, she felt the knot in her stomach because of the secrets as they twisted that first part of the web in this part of her body: the two crooks, Tashi's wound, and of course her complicated attraction to a man who had even more secrets to hide than her. They were just going to keep growing and growing.

The sun had been shining, but now it was becoming overcast. If she could hurry, then maybe it wouldn't rain already. And to make it all the more unnerving, a flock of black birds cawed and took flight. She hoped that wasn't an omen, despite the shiver up her spine. _It's just the weather, and it's more humid than cold right now._

She wished she'd checked the weather before she left.

Hanaru arrived at her grandma's property in no time. She planned to talk to the old woman about her suspicions even if it risked what they had. She really liked Tashi somehow, having plenty of experience. But as far as Hanaru was concerned, if something did happen, then it would be her fault for not saying something sooner.

She also remembered it was Tuesday, which was Tsunade's day to make the trip to town, hitching the ride in her pickup truck. It also meant Tashi could very much be alone at the house...

...and it made her pulse pick up the speed with the galloping of the horses. It increased with the memory of those piercing eyes, those chiseled, rugged aristocratic features and the heat pooling in her body, especially her sensitive nipples..._damn it, girl! He's not like those boys you flirt with at the dances! He's a man who spells trouble. Listen to Mom and do your best to avoid him._

So, after she left the mares, she'd briefly speak to him and then just go right home.

But, unfortunately, she panicked when she noticed how things were unusually quiet. Tsunade took one gelding with her, but when Hanaru arrived at the paddock, she noticed that Son Gokū was _missing._ Tashi wouldn't be so stupid to think to go to town for a doctor in his condition, would he? He should have just asked her grandmother if he wanted to see the doctor, after all! Gritting her teeth, Hanaru led Shukaku to the fence's post, tying him and the girls together inside before going to investigate, keeping her mom's words in mind.

Just as she feared, after an extensive search - and no sign of those damned thieves returning - Tashi was indeed missing, along with his horse. She cursed in their native tongue and angrily stomped her foot in the earth.

Her grandma's rifle was gone, too, but Tsunade always took it with her in case something happened in town, or if she was greeted with unwelcomed visitors, like Hidan and Kakuzu. Now Hanaru's mind began to take a different turn: if Tashi was gone of his own will, having waited until her grandmother was gone, and took the stallion with him, damn him to HELL!

If she found him, she would kick him in the groin _and _break his jaw.

And find him she did. He was in the barn, unexpectedly and not so. Son Gokū was there, in the stall and saddled, snorting as he saw her approach. Nearby was the cot holding none other than his "owner". At first, she was scared the horse trampled on the man he'd been through a lot with, before seeing no evidence such as hoof marks or blood. She dove to his side, checking his pulse and the temperature of his skin. All seemed normal, and he was flushed above the neck, but he muttered something she couldn't even make out. _You're delirious, you idiotic bastard. When you wake up, you'll have not only words, but both ears yanked off as I curse you to hell!_

"Tashi, wake the hell up! I'm gonna take your ass back into the house!" At the sound of her voice and the words she spoke, he managed to blink his eyes opened, and he flinched at how loud she was. She took his hand, but he shook it off; he was being so stubborn again, wasn't he?! "Look, don't think about -" Hanaru trailed off when she saw that he managed to sit up and then get on his knees before rising to his feet, wobbly, but didn't last as he stumbled forward, and he would have hit the hay-covered concrete if she hadn't made it to his side.

He was at her mercy like a hawk wounded from being shot in a hunt - or anything else in the air - and that was his doing. Whether he liked it or not, he was in her care alone.

**How ya all like the idea that the horses are named after the Tailed Beasts in canon - all of which came from somewhere in popular Japanese lore? :D **

**Kokuō**** \- the five-tailed beast - was hard to decipher if it were male or female, but based on the voice, I assumed female, and it was voiced by none other than Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in English, so therefore it's a girl horse in this story. :) **

**Geldings are "castrated horses or other equine, such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally-driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday working animal."**

**When Kushina mentions a single mothers' community center, it was inspired by real events in Japan which I also used for "An Offer She Can't Refuse"; single mothers are looked down upon in Japan, for either raising their children alone after divorce or never marrying at all. That country is literally no place for single parents. I mean, being solo is hard enough when your kids need both parents. :(**

**REVIEW! **


	4. Murder, My Sweet

**I was born in the south of the US, so the place of my birth was the influence for this western style tale besides the book it is retelling. :3 So close to heart in more ways than one.**

Chapter Four

Murder, My Sweet

"You're really getting quite good at this, Hanaru."

She was in no mood for his attempt to be charming and smooth. "Just be quiet," she snapped. "Your suave tongue won't work on me this time."

Damn it, his goddamned fine body was against hers again as she helped him out, and it only made her spew more of her fury at him. "What in God's hell were you thinking?! In your condition, you could have passed out or _died _on the road, and even if you made it, I would take it upon myself to beat your ass with every inch of my life!" Hanaru shouted at the top of her lungs as soon as they were out of the barn. He only laughed at her, hoarsely and humoring himself.

"I'd love to see you try that if you were to have a whip of your own."

"You are _shitting_ me, Tashi!" she fumed. "You didn't even think to tell my grandmother you were going, did you?"

Now, this made him mad, but it wasn't like she cared. "I said your grandmother was a fine woman, but it doesn't mean I should owe her or anyone - even you - an explanation or permission to leave." _Oh, of all the arrogant and sneaky -!_

"What about Son Gokū? I just brought the mares over to leave with him. Then I come here only to find you missing - and like this," Hanaru pointed out heatedly. "You said I could have him if you were here, but apparently you're too proud to let anyone help you like this. Look at you! I swear to God you will need the doctor if your injury gets infected, and _no objections_. It's either losing your arm OR your life."

He growled through his teeth, but he said nothing else. Good, she got his ass in place, and now they were in the house. But after the screen door closed, she got more words and not sarcastic remarks. "Tell you what, Miss Hanaru: if I go, then I entrust Son Gokū with your hands. I can think of no one else more qualified than you." He slurred on some of his words, but part of her was tempted to get a gun herself - mostly for his behavior. He'd really like that, wouldn't he?

Now they reached the sewing room, and only a few more steps until they reached the bed...only for things to wind up being another mishap. The bastard ended up toppling like a tree which was felled onto the bed -

\- with her right beneath him, not giving her time to slip away. "TASHI!"

Hanaru shrieked, sparking a frenzy towards this very compromising position which had to be nothing more than an accident. But even as she fought to push him off, those same reactions from earlier returned in the form of what was beneath her belly button this time. _Seriously, at a time like this?!_ Being around animals all her life, she knew enough about this stuff if never engaging in it herself.

And the obvious ridge in Tashi's jeans confirmed it even in his feverish state. While it made her uncomfortable - because how the hell could this feel good when, moments ago, they bickered over his irresponsible actions? - she knew that he wasn't doing this on purpose. It was natural instincts, like amongst animals. Except she wished she could say the same about herself, since all she wanted to do was get him off before things got more frenetic and past the point. "Tashi, damn it, would you get your heavy self off?!" In response, he opened his eyes and blinked before finally noticing where they were. Lazily, he managed a grin.

"Didn't ask for this, but it's not like a man can refuse an invitation like this." He was, of course, referring to the fact his hips were situated right between her legs. Hanaru snapped instantly.

"Get...OFF!"

Her palm opened wide and cracked him hard against the face, which finally sent him onto his side, laughing roughly as if he'd never been hit like that before. "Bastard, Grandma said you were a gentleman, and I believed her!"

"Now, don't go looking at me like _that_ was my fault." He laid where he was while she rushed to stand right up.

And if he wasn't ill, she'd punch him like a man. But no, she settled on getting him out of his boots, and then unbuttoned his shirt to check on the bandages. It looked good on the surface, though it would be a big worry if germs got in, so she rushed to the kitchen to get some more wrappings and what she could to ease what was beneath the slice. If she'd been just as much a genius with Tsunade's herbs, she wouldn't have to worry about killing Tashi by mistake after her experimenting. Because the best antidotes could be fatal if misused. _Grandma just HAD to be gone at this time! _

She planned to boil pieces of willow bark for the fever, and when it was finished, she would take it off the stove and put it into a cup, bring it to him and promise this wouldn't knock him out. Until Tsunade got back, she would use what she was familiar with.

Whether she liked it or not, Hanaru had to finish getting him undressed and back into the bed, which meant his shirt and of course his jeans had to go - and look at what it left him: gray cotton briefs that barely hid what was beneath. She had to swallow down the blush that threatened to come to the surface of her cheeks. She had to avoid looking there and incidentally glanced at broad shoulders and a chest, carved as if by a Roman or Greek architect, an impressive eight-pack rather than a six, and finally the tanned, wide-spaced nipples which hardened at the cool air they were exposed to.

Hanaru had to leave him alone and hurry back to check on the tea, and when she did, the clouds outside darkened, which meant it could precipitate. Rain could keep Tsunade delayed if there were a flood in the roads. Which meant Hanaru was in trouble, and when she got back home, Mama Kushina would fly into a wrath and demand answers as to why she hadn't been home as promised.

Her stomach twisted so much as she feared this man dying in her grandmother's house, by her hands which were feeble compared to the legendary Tsunade who could have been a doctor herself.

Some honey was added to decrease the bitterness, which was something she loved to add in green tea, as did others. Tashi would need all the liquids he could get to fend off an infection.

She helped him sit up, his stubbled jaw against the curve of one of her breasts, and he managed to drink it, being told it was still hot, and instead of saying thank you, he had to note it was hot and sweet...like _her_. She shook her head at his fuzzed brain, scolding him that he should just drink it and then try to rest a bit before she gave him more.

It was then that, after leaving him with the empty cup in hand, Hanaru's ears picked up rumbling thunder, and then the heavy pelting of rain. The storm broke, and at that moment, she flipped. The grounds were becoming muddy, the windowpanes were pattered with streams, and the strong rooftops were rattling mildly, but all of that was the least of her worries.

She freaking left the horses out there! Shukaku and the mares, even Son Gokū who was still loose with the saddle in the barn; they were all scared of the storm!

Her stupid self wasted no time to grab a raincoat, just ran out there, taking care to not slip, since she had no intentions of getting muddy and into a bath or shower where she would clearly get shocked. The lightning currents would touch one of the rods and make their way to the water pipes, cause uncomfortable shocks but not kill. Better to be safe than sorry. She got right onto the saddle of Shukaku, who knew his job despite being scared, and helped her get the terrified Matatabi and Kokuō into the barn, where Son Gokū was nervous if taking this situation a tad better than the females. There were enough stalls for all of them to have their own, but once they were all in comfortably and rubbed down by her hands from the downpour, she gave her attention to the cot where Tashi had laid - and when she rolled it up, out fell the same revolver he'd brandished against the crooks Kakuzu and Hidan. Smirking instead of being concerned for now, Hanaru decided that having a gun on herself would be good, after all.

It was useless to avoid this rain, when the horses' well-beings were on her mind rather than herself, so Hanaru rushed out there with the swift speed of a fox, her boots being a mess now, and her blouse and jeans soaked to her skin. In a way, she'd been given a shower, but that meant she needed to find substitutes until they were dried out.

The yard became a muddy lake behind her, and the paddock was no doubt mixed with that and horse shit.

On the porch, Hanaru slumped against the wall near the door and exhaled sharply, feeling like she was on ice, and managed to get off her filthy boots before stepping on the welcoming mat and into the house. Despite the warmth she found again, she needed to warm up, but again, a warm bath or shower were out of the question. When the rain stopped, she would.

She chose to first check on Tashi, and there he was slumbering so deeply in sleep that he didn't even notice she'd come in to help him get situated, which included his hair needing to be out of its tie...and when she did, she heard herself gasp at how long it really was, and how thick. It felt like silk on her fingers, its length perhaps reaching the middle of his back, just like her own. She set the pins down on the side of the floor near his head. He was still a bit feverish, but with sleep, it could help him out. He was such a powerful man, he could pull out of something like this. When he woke again, she'd give him some porridge and more tea.

Before she left with his gathered clothes and his gun, she took one last look at the strong, beautiful man who was laying on his side now, deep in slumber.

_Gonna shove them under Grandma's bed until he's better, so that he can't get up and go about naked, if he thinks he can escape again. And where to put his gun..._

Hanaru decided beneath the couch cushions would work, and only she would do well to remember, unless Grandma Tsunade got lucky enough to come home and find it herself, knowing and understanding why it was there.

She decided to look about in her grandmother's closet then, to try to find something to wear until her clothes dried out. _Since she lets Mama and me do it if it calls for it._ Her biggest concern was that she would have to ride out again if something prompted it, since Tsunade still wore pants at her age, but mostly flannel gowns.

Hanaru decided that a flannel gown could work, but in her journey, she ended up finding that box which had her grandmother's precious memories. Curiosity was chewing bits of her; she shoved it down until she found what she was looking for: a creamy white flannel gown patterned sweetly with pink blossoms. She stripped down, relieved her undergarments were still dried - mostly - and pulled the gown over her head. It was larger than her, because of her grandma's godlike bust, but it was still comfortable. Her hair was dried and tangled, really needing a good brushing out. So, she used her grandmother's favorite hairbrush, loosening the locks with ease and without taking any strands from her scalp. Thank God her favorite little oval crystal earrings didn't get pulled out.

Her damp clothes were hung on the backs of the kitchen chairs, and maybe would take an hour or two to dry, but until then, she would relax and listen to the rain while she looked through the box she used to explore with Grandma, her parents and brother - and Grandpa Jiraiya - a long time ago. Seeing this inside brought some burning tears to the corners of her eyes.

Her grandparents' wedding photograph, still in its bamboo frame. That dress was American southwestern rather than a Japanese kimono, which was one of several breakthroughs, and only a few brides would pull that off while honoring traditional Shintoism. Tsunade's gown was of embroidered tulle with lace at the waist, the sleeves short to reveal her arms.

When her eventual daughter-in-law Kushina came around, the redhead couldn't find the perfect dress and was offered her mother-in-law's, and hopefully, Hanaru could one day have her turn. If anything, family heirlooms were more meaningful than anything. _At least the bust was redone for my size, since it's the same as Mom's._

What she found next: the adoption papers listed for Minato, after he lost his parents. After Tsunade lost their child, which was the cause of a dispute between Jiraiya and someone they once called a friend - who jealously lashed out at them and caused her to lose the child. That was pure hatred; how could someone you thought a friend betray you like that, was selfish enough to not let someone they loved go?

It just showed that there was a different kind of love in existence: the kind that made you so desperate that you'd do anything to keep that person.

Next was also her parents, with Minato embracing his loving girlfriend from behind, Kushina in a dress that blushed like she did, the large flowers matching her hair - and cradling the clear seven months' growth in the middle of her body. Hanaru, their eldest and only daughter, had been born before they were married, but that didn't make anything complicated. Besides Kushina not able to have a wedding gown or kimono, she did also ask for Tsunade's instead. No one was upset in the end, and it didn't change anything.

Which brought Hanaru to a brand new one and making her heart jerk. In here, Naruto was only five and she was eight. Back then, she had pigtails and he wore goggles on his forehead. Both of them flashed the thumbs up on their ends as their grandpa took the photograph of them.

She looked up at the clock then, and noted with a frown that the time was going on to a quarter to noon. It had felt much longer than that. The storm was very mad at this time, with the winds threatening to shatter the strong windows, the grounds turned into a swampy landscape with a sea of mud and crap. _Damn it, now I know I can give up on Grandma getting back, if she can find a place to stay with one of her friends in town, and no doubt Naruto will end up being with Hinata at her house, which leaves Mom to take a room of her own for the night with one of her friends, too. We all have a place if one option isn't available. If only the phone lines weren't down!_

That was a downer when it came to rainstorms: the power lines would be down for some time, including mobile phones. In rural areas like this, modern technology was lesser if up to date compared to the big cities. Which meant very little to no social media. Old school and modernity were comfortably side by side, which she liked.

Which meant that Hanaru was stuck here with a man whose life was in her hands.

~o~

_Fugaku's body lay half-naked on the bedroom floor, soaking up the carpet with his own red-black blood. Just like spilled wine. Numbly did he look upon the corpse of his father as he put the still-warm revolver into the pocket of his jacket before turning his gaze up to the woman who suffered more than he and his brother._

_His mother's cheek bore blood and a purple eye. Her leopard-printed silk robe as well as the lace-trimmed golden slip were torn in places. She looked on in shock, more at him than the corpse of the man who tried to kill her tonight for certain after she confronted him over what he had done - and that was when Itachi finally came in. Enough had been enough. _

_"Mom, it's over now." He took her into an embrace and massaged her lower back in small circles, the same way she did to him and his brother all their lives. She broke down, sobbing hoarsely and clutching onto him. Behind them, his brother's footsteps sounded as he heard the commotion, and his gasp was harsh and strangled. _

_"Itachi...what's going on?! Why the hell did you kill Father?!"_

_"Because...he has been assaulting our mother for years. You never even once suspected it, not even after that one time -" Itachi stated coolly, only to be interrupted, both for no wish to remember that horrible moment, and because he had been kept ignorant of all of this...all of which had been the elder brother's doing for his protection. _

_Sasuke erupted at once, uncaring that his volume and interrogation were wasting precious time. "You KNEW all of this and never told me all my life? Itachi, how could you never let me in on what kind of man he was? How could you never tell me he _abused _her like this?" he demanded, and once more, Itachi evaded that question because time was running out. _

_He let go of Mikoto and turned to look at him. "You and Mom will give me a ten minute heads up...then call the police." It was for the best, for both of their sakes, since they both knew what would happen if their mother was endangered by what was left of Fugaku's side of the family. Her future as well as Sasuke's were far better than he could have asked for, and he'd also spent all his life being pressured by their father and the public eye. Only what waited for him was uncertainty and eventually execution if he were caught. _

_Which was why he had to leave as soon as possible. _

_His brother's brows shot up to his hairline as his eyes widened like a doe, before the face twisted into frustration and desperation. "Big brother, you're going to be framed -"_

_"Yes, Sasuke, and don't argue with me when I say this is for the best, for both of you," he said harshly. "Sasuke, don't be selfish and assume I'm doing this just for you. Do you want our mother to lose everything after suffering under this man as long as we have?" He jerked his head in the corpse's direction without looking back. "Just take care of her and know that your futures are brighter than mine ever will be, and when you are older, you'll thank me." Given Sasuke was still only a teenager, was just going to enter college so quickly because of his gifted intellect he had every reason to be proud of, but it was a tragedy that the elder Uchiha brother would miss not only his ascension, but his marriage one day to Sakura Haruno. _

_Furious tears coursed down Sasuke's cheeks, his body violently trembling as he could not imagine a future without the brother who had always been there for him. So, they embraced - Sasuke bitterly accepting this, being forced to say it was for the best - and then he kissed their mother one more time before he had to leave...not before spitting at the sight of the thing around her finger which bound her to that monster who sired both him and Sasuke: the two rings. One with a big marquise diamond which joined with a band of smaller versions. He hoped she would have it donated or pawned somewhere when her mourning period was over..._

_He thought twice about taking his cherished car that he paid for with his own money not handed to him by Fugaku. The police would block the roads and no doubt recognize it. Which meant his option left was taking the horse which Sasuke told him about, saying it was the finest he'd seen that their father had often proudly boasted about. _

_Mikoto's question still haunted him as he ran away on the stallion into the night: "Where will you go, my dear son?"_

_He'd told her Kusa, probably, but the truth was, the gods only knew where. _

~o~

She watched him toss and turn from her position, knees brought up to her chest beneath the loose flannel, and heard him moan sometimes. _Maybe he's having a nightmare. _And who knew that she'd get a couple secrets out of him like that without him spilling directly to her?

Two names: Sasuke and Mikoto. Sasuke was a guy's name, so she automatically assumed that was the brother he borrowed Son Gokū from, but _Mikoto?_ Might be a former wife or sweetheart, but what did she really care? Once he recovered, he'd be gone and taking the horse with him. He was unpredictable as the winds, like the ones blowing outside at the present.

"...well, hello there."

Tashi's voice was raspy, bringing her out of her thoughts, and she saw him laying on his side again, lids half-drooping, and a lazy smile was on his lips. It was almost innocent and childlike. "Hello to you," Hanaru answered. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." Obviously. "Is Tsunade back? What time is it?"

He just didn't care which he wanted answered. "About to be noon, and I worry Grandma might not be back anytime soon. How about I make more tea and give you some rice porridge?" Like she said, he needed all the fluids he needed and nourishment from the rice. She stood up from the sofa and started for the kitchen before pausing when he spoke - _lewdly._

"I have a far better idea. Since you're in that gown - which is hiding enough to make me draw pictures of my own - why don't you come and join me?" Those heavy eyes looked her up and down when he said it, making the heat rush to her face, threatening other parts. Hanaru forced herself to not make eye contact again, taking a deep breath to calm down. He wasn't in the right state of mind, which meant he was worse than she thought.

More willow bark to boil on the stove, and of course rice on another part to boil, before she would drop in eggs. While that would take a few minutes now, she got the tea done and was putting it into a small, brown porcelain cup, heading back in the direction that she started to think of as Tashi's "room", and there he was sitting upright, waiting for her. That look he gave her was enough to want to make her nerves frayed again. "Would you just stop looking at me like that?!"

His face instantly twisted into a dark glare. "Miss Hanaru, you're far more short with me than you were yesterday."

"You think?" She pushed the gown aside and knelt down beside him, setting the cup down for him to pick up himself, then rose again to go turn the rice off in order for it to absorb the water and egg fluids.

He lifted his chin up. "Bloody hell, woman, I know I've been more than you can tolerate. But if I had my way, I would be long gone by now," he told her, which really did push her to her limits.

"And take Son Gokū! This tells me everything: you didn't care if you fell off your horse and got trampled, or got sick from your wound and died from it! Because you wanted to just get the hell away from me!" For some reason, she started crying. Her damned emotions, that was why! Why else would he want to leave? She wouldn't be surprised that he secretly felt something akin to what she knew it might be for him...

Once again, he surprised her. "No, Miss Hanaru. You don't have anything to do with it." His tone was now strangely tender, but hard. "There are things that you and your grandmother are better off not knowing about."

She had to cover her face as her throat ached with the tears she was trying so hard to keep down; why did he have to be such a difficult man? "Oh, hell, I hate to see a woman cry. It makes me feel useless; I never know what to really do," Tashi said. He then reached out and cupped her face into both hands, making her look at him. Making her forget that he was not in the right state of mind, except for the first time, she saw a sincerity that he allowed her to see after the way he'd been behaving towards her. The tension had started to lessen in this instant.

"Oh, to hell with it, Tashi!"

He stiffened at once when she captured his lips with hers. They were hot as his fever, so compellingly so, but nothing to infect her with. She expected him to push her off, but he didn't.

Hanaru broke it off for a second to take a breath of air, and he rasped, too, but couldn't seem to think of any words to say to her. _Nothing matters. _

She'd really wanted to be kissed by him, and now that it really happened, it was all she ever needed at the moment. It was an uncontrollable electrical current like the lightning outside the window.

**Besides reading it in the book, I think willow bark was really used for fevers in especially old days. **

**Hanaru wearing one of her grandma's flannel gowns - it's something I still do myself along with stuff that fits my age. :3 Nostalgia and personal touches. **

**Review! :3 Loving detail, please. **


	5. Wings of Desire

Chapter Five

Wings of Desire

Perhaps the fever was affecting his logic, but in the moment, he couldn't give a rat's ass. It was either his brain not functioning as a result of his sickness, or he just subconsciously lost all sense.

She was the one who kissed him first, but he couldn't call her a temptress, because there was no way she still knew what she was doing. That was what young people did: they followed their passions with or without common sense.

What separated him from her was the thin gown and his briefs as well as the blanket that still covered him. She had been so aggravated with him for being so difficult, rightfully so, but here they were now moments later: in a sweet but unnecessary lip lock. Her lips were soft against his chapped ones, but the nerves thrummed and linked both pairs. She tilted her head backwards a little for him to deepen it on his part. He wouldn't be surprised if this arousal traveled all the way down to the toes, like it did to him. She, however, stunned him by opening her mouth a little to invite his tongue in.

_She must have learned this from a girl friend with experience, if not from her mother and grandmother. These things are typically made more exciting between friends. _

As for himself, Itachi had some experience with a couple girls from adolescence, which was as far as it went. Because he was the Uchiha heir, he hesitated on ever being in a serious relationship. This sensation, on the other hand with this girl, was far more delicious and blaring with yellow alarms.

He growled in his throat as he could feel she was naked beneath her gown, except for flimsy undergarments. That didn't stop him from coming across the cleft of her thighs with the tent within his own. She pulsed from the contact with him. Her breasts flattened partially by his pectoral muscles. "Hanaru, you need to stop doing this," he rasped, though his hands acted against his words when they came around to find her buttocks and grope them when she ended up straddling him -

_NO._

No to the heavenly rocket fire which sparked through his being. No to the exotic scent of her, which was alluring without a name and enticed him on pure instinct. _Warm amber, roses and peaches, I smell. _And most of all, no to the underside of his manhood feeling through and catching the little bump that was her pearl.

She was driving him crazy with her youthful passion, and that was all the more reason he had to stop this before it went too far. Despite her fire, Hanaru was still innocent in ways she couldn't understand. She must have wanted the brief pain and extended pleasure without fear of the consequences, which wasn't possible. He deserved none of that; he intended to ride away and leave her untouched by soils of sin.

"No!" Quickly, he pulled his lips away from hers and pushed her off by the shoulders. She landed on her haunches as he slid out from under her. He didn't see his clothes anywhere, which meant she must have hidden them. "Hanaru, we can't do this. I have to go." Never mind he still had some traces of fever in his system, and damn the weather outside, which she pointed out despite being breathless from the intense kiss they shared.

"You're being an idiot, Tashi. It's still raining like hell out there."

He didn't have to look at her to know she was seething and humiliated. This was how he intended to keep his distance. "If I felt well enough for such a kiss, then I'm well enough to ride Son Gokū in the gods' tears," he said confidently, but it was like her to keep persisting even as he set about to look for his clothes, hearing the delicate padding of her footsteps, and looking up when she snipped.

She was laying out sideways on the sofa, where she'd been when he woke up and saw her watching over him. "You try to go out there, there's no way you're going to make it past the gate."

"I'll take the chances." Damn it, why wouldn't she let him go instead of arguing with him while he was mostly naked?! "Think and say what you want of me, but I have a code of honor. I refuse to repay an old woman's kindness by seducing her granddaughter." Itachi lifted his chin, pushing his hair past his shoulder - and realizing that he needed his pins again, wherever they were, or something else. _She must have taken them out while I was sleeping. _

Hanaru smirked to one corner of her mouth. "I'm not gonna let you leave, and it's not your choice to go." With that, she halfway sat upright and reached beneath her and the cushions. Just for a second, he thought she got his clothing out...but it turned out to be none other than his revolver.

_The same revolver which shot my father twice in the chest. _

He narrowed his eyes at her when her thumb made its way to the safety and then back to the trigger, threatening to unlock and fire if he thought to move away. He hadn't seen it yet, but he had the gut instinct she knew how to fire a shot. "Now, are you going to try to slip away or get your ass back into that bed?" Hanaru challenged.

This had just become what they called in the west a Mexican standoff, which was nothing short of amusing. But the last few minutes also drained him of what little energy he had begun to regain, which he was fighting to take back. She was making nothing easy for him. "You little imp, you don't care about my needs, only that you need Son Gokū to do his masculine business," he said, which was not far from the truth. She didn't deny it, either.

"If I pull this trigger, that means you yourself will worry no longer about YOUR masculine business," Hanaru retorted, eyes blue fire. She cocked the handle. "You're still sick and not thinking clearly. I don't want to really shoot you, but you're not giving me much of a choice."

"Just as you're not doing the same for me. We're in what they call a standoff."

She sniffed. "Call it what you want," she returned. "I'm placing the odds of you passing out on that porch before or after you make it past that door." Then she lowered the pistol, putting the safety back on. He smirked, before it faded when she dared him to go out the front door, telling him that if he was proven wrong, there was rice porridge and more tea, and given her grandmother wouldn't be back today because of the floods, there was a fifty-fifty chance he could be better by morning, and then she wouldn't stop him from leaving. Somehow, he doubted that very much.

Itachi grunted and chose now to test her and himself by going out as he was - naked except in his briefs, his hair loose about his back and shoulders - before he barely made one foot out onto the porch, and red flashed before his eyes as his brain began to rotate.

~o~

She told that stubborn idiot, didn't she?

He thought he could go out without clothes and with a fuzzy brain, and he only managed to shakily step back in before collapsing back onto the bed. _Told you, dumbass. _

Now night had fallen, and the rain stopped, leaving a high level of humidity. The moon outside was a crescent shape, surrounded with an uneven, naturally beautiful blanket of stars, clearing as if nature's weeping hadn't happened, but the proof was the swamp-like ground near the creek which led out to the woods. You could hear the frogs croaking and the crickets chirping their song.

It seemed as the day passed, Tashi's condition had gradually worsened despite her efforts. His fever was burning at its peak, and she set about washing away the sweat that gathered on every expanse of his skin, but besides the strong contours she got familiar with, she had no intent to go lower because of the memory of the ridge which found its way against her own spot and belly. _He was right to push me off, because what the hell was I thinking? I should forget about it and think about being an idiot. _Hanaru tried to convince herself, too, that her embarrassment was the least of her problems, but what did it matter?

She gave him the rice and tea, but it didn't make him any better. His teeth continued chattering, his skin flared like an inferno, and she was worried that if she gave him more liquids, he could end up choking to death. Damn it all, she wished Grandma Tsunade was here!

The goddamned cellphone tower lines were still down, but it was a miracle the house's power was intact, which did little to sweeten her sour mood. Crying and praying did little, and all she could do now was slump back into that sofa, end up falling asleep while watching the sleeping man and listening to his shallow breathing...

The dream she had felt like ten seconds, happening in a flash: _Son Gokū __galloped, carrying two riders, and trying to go full-speed, but only one rider would make it possible. She was right behind Tashi, holding onto his ribs, and deciding that perhaps she could risk her life to let him run for his freedom. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, promising that she would do this for him, and then released her hold from around his body, leaning back and allowing the wind to suck her away towards the ocean of grass. _

She jerked awake, sensitive ears picking up the sound of chattering teeth. Tashi was cold again, and she retrieved the heaviest quilt she could find. However, she knew that the material could only do so much, which left another, risky option.

His feverish mockery returned to the front of her cranium: _"Since you're in that gown - which is hiding enough to make me draw pictures of my own - why don't you come and join me?" _

Oh, she intended to, but not for that reason. Her grandmother would definitely disapprove of something like this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. So, Hanaru slid under the quilt with him, lifting enough of her skirt up to spoon against him, wrapping that leg around his waist. She just hoped his boner wouldn't come back to life like this. She rested her head against his shoulder - the uninjured one - and felt his warm breath on her skin. Eventually, his breathing evened out and his quaking decreased. It drew forth cool shivers of her own, but not enough to freeze her to the bone.

This form of contact was more...intimate than earlier. It was gentle and welcoming.

_Is this what it's like to lay in bed with your husband in your arms? It feels so different, unlike that kiss and him pushing me away like he did. This feels so soft and sweet...like real love. _

~o~

_Here they were, as he'd desired them both to be from the very first moment: naked and in each other's arms. She hovered over him, lava-streaked curls framing each side of her head, eyes glittering like water, and her sweet, musky scent reaching his nostrils. _

_Those lips were swollen and dark, lush like her breasts which were flushed with an equally dark shade of rose. He had to kiss every inch of her honey-kissed body, making him so drunk he wanted MORE._

_He managed to lift his head up to first capture those lips, then move down to the left breast, taking in the ripened nipple, which was hard as a strawberry as it was colored. Moaning, she arched upwards, hands coming to take him with her, lifting his head and combing her fingers through his silky mane. He continued to lick and suck until he hungered for something else, something sweeter than hell's fire._

_She read his mind, for she released his head and then leaned back and back for him to travel down her lovely physique. He kissed and nipped at every corner of her flat, firm stomach until he finally reached where she was wet and glistening with ambrosia. Hidden beneath the pubic hair were satiny petals centered with a highly sensitized bud waiting to bloom like a rose upon contact. _

_He lapped at her sweet sex, drinking her down, and all that was left was to break through the little tapestry that was her innocence, which she was giving to him gladly even though he did nothing to deserve it..._

~o~

It would seem that his fever had at last broken. His forehead and the hair there were drenched with sweat, but other than that, he was going to live, after all, which he was glad for.

He then discovered he wasn't alone, because a warm body lay next to him. _Maybe I was cold again, and body temperature called for it. _The person to provide it was none other than Hanaru, who had worn herself out working to save his life, and when everything else was off the list, she chose to lay next to him. She was still in the large flannel gown patterned with innocent blushing blossoms, her lashes an exotic touch against her whiskered cheeks - making him wonder what the cause was of those fox-like marks - and some fair curls fell over her face.

The wave of tenderness consumed Itachi as he continued to look over her.

Against his better judgment, he found himself leaning over and placing a light kiss on her forehead, making her sigh and lean further into him. He sighed, too. He had to remind himself she was still but a young woman who had no experience with these things except animals. Suspicious and smart as she was, what could she know about the kind of miserable life he was leading?

Which was why he had to leave now. The sooner, the better. He carefully slid away, and she moaned but didn't stir and awake. _The faster I leave, the better,_ he repeated to himself. And in case Tsunade returned with the assistant commissioner or anyone in the force, he would be long gone, and Hanaru wouldn't have anything to share.

First things first, he had to search for his clothes, and then when he got them, he could look for something in the kitchen for his stomach. He was still a tad lightheaded, and his stomach growled, so perhaps food would help.

His revolver was still on the couch, where Hanaru had left it. He would never forget that image of her in flannel and wielding his weapon against him - the murder weapon which took Fugaku Uchiha's life. But the rest of his things weren't hidden anywhere in this area, which told him the clever little vixen hid them somewhere else in the house. Itachi growled quietly through his teeth.

There was also a clean shirt and jeans in his bedroll, but only one pair of boots that he could NOT be without. The sooner he found them, the quicker he would make haste before his lovely caregiver and warden would open her eyes.

Kitchen checked, and nothing in the cabinets and pantry. That left Tsunade's bedroom as well as where her granddaughter was still sleeping. He found himself in the former place - and he hit the jackpot when he found what he was looking for in the most obvious of places: _under the bed. _

"Damn it, why did I waste precious time with the kitchen?" he cursed aloud to himself. He quickly buttoned up the crisp light pink shirt - really, one of the few things he never thought to wear in his life, since the Uchiha were a proud family - and then fastened on his jeans with the belt...but before he could get on his boots, the revolver laying on the bed, he heard the sound of creaking floorboards behind him.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going, hm? I suppose you're feeling better, but you'd better give me an answer, Tashi."

Hanaru's voice was tight, her hands on her hips, and her tousled hair before her eyes. She was adorable like that, even as she challenged him right here. But he had no time to play the game with her. "Yes, I am well, but I have to leave, and if you know what is good for you, you won't stop me this time," Itachi said icily, but that didn't stop her.

Hanaru lifted her nose, unfazed. "Why? Did you do something that the law must be on your back?" That question pushed things a bit too far. He avoided looking into those now curious eyes.

"You don't want to know the answer to anything you ask, Hanaru. All I will do is call in the favor you promised me." Now she was bristled.

"_Promised_? Seriously, your promises are nothing but jokes! Nothing will mean shit unless you stay long enough for Son Gokū to mate with the mares. Unless that happens, then I don't owe you jack," she said heatedly.

Itachi shook his head and rubbed the back of his head. She had him in place, once again. After all, he agreed to her first, but a deal was a deal - even if it meant her grandmother coming with the police and risking his freedom. "Very well, but in return, I'll ask for your help and a favor in one."

She raised an eyebrow, arms tightening and straining her nipples against the fabric of the gown, which he forced his eyes away from and onto her face. "What favor?"

"Your trust and silence," he answered, if avoiding her was failing miserably. He was making a great gamble and had to pray it would pay off.

"...that's a high price, since I don't know a damned thing, and I'm guessing Grandma doesn't, either." He shook his head no, which she accepted without some difficulty. "But why should I think about trusting you?"

"Because I never did harm you and your grandmother, and I don't intend to now. I made it clear I have a code of honor. I did do something in the past, but it needed to be done, and that's all I will say," Itachi said with finality.

Hanaru's arms dropped to her sides, but her hands clenched into fists. "You're asking me to not breathe a word to anyone - not even my grandmother - that you're wanted by the law. I knew there was something about you all along, but I was hoping I'd been wrong, too." She shook her head in minor dismay.

Itachi lowered his eyes to the floorboards. "You had every right to," he agreed. "And no, not a word to anyone, _especially _Tsunade. She's been too good to me to know about this. And you must have figured out Tashi isn't really my name." She huffed as the answer. "It's for the best you don't know my real identity as well as my actions, and it's for the best that you don't."

Her eyes really knew how to peer into his soul; he'd been told that he knew how to do that with everyone. Hers had a way of drawing out the secrets he swore he would never tell anyone, and that was all the more reason he had to get away from here.

"Therefore, I'm sorry about the horse, but some things don't go as planned. And because you saved my life last night, I'm eternally grateful."

**R and R! ;3**


	6. Lilies of the Field

Chapter Six

Lilies of the Field

He said he was grateful for her saving his life, but now she wondered why the hell she bothered. _He admitted he's hiding something, but it seems I have no choice but to accept it and "trust" him until he's gone._

One thing was also certain: he wouldn't harm a hair on her or Grandma Tsunade. So, Hanaru agreed, but before he could think to go out to the barn to check on the horses, she was going with him, and he had to get something in his stomach while she regained her dried garments and redressed in her grandmother's bedroom.

She had no reason to trust him not to steal anything, despite him not being a thief as he swore. And besides that, his injury needed another look at as well as a bandage change.

Dressed again, hair now tied beneath her neck, Hanaru watched him from the doorway as he enjoyed a glass of tea from the fridge and a rice ball wrapped in seaweed. It made her wonder if he would really miss being here, the peace and the work, the mountains and fields of wildflowers, and even Tsunade's company.

~o~

He was definitely gonna miss this place, especially Tsunade and her fiery granddaughter. Them most of all.

As for Hanaru herself, she was nothing like any other girl he would have ended up with if he'd stayed back in Tokyo. She would have just been nothing more than a decoration and an image for the press and devouring public. She would have been with him because he was the Uchiha heir, which opened doors of possibilities for her. And now with his scandalous disappearance, any potential wife who benefitted his family would have nothing to do with him.

He could not say the same for Hanaru Uzumaki. She was passionate and level, acting on impulse when drastic measures pushed her buttons. She lived by her heart, but she had to learn everything about love and loss, and he could not stay to show her all of that.

If she so much as _asked _him to stay, he would lose his head.

He saw her go past the kitchen door, and then heard the sound of the wooden and screen doors opening, releasing fresh rain-soaked air, enlightening the senses. Then he heard her call back to him: "Someone's coming on a horse through the trees. It's Grandma!"

If Tsunade rode on horse, then there was no way she could bring her truck if the bridge was not in use. Except her arrival made things difficult once more, but his saving grace was that she was alone and that the law didn't come with her. _If I leave now, it arouses her suspicions. _He had ended up revealing more than he intended to Hanaru, who was too smart for her own good. He had no idea how to hold her to her promise with not betraying him; he could hardly believe he entrusted his fate in her calloused little hands.

~o~

She went outside halfway just to see if anyone was coming, since the lines were still damned down - and that meant not being able to reach her mom and brother - and that was when she saw the familiar figure with long, whitened hair on a horse coming up from the wild, which told her the bridge was flooded.

Tsunade was still in the denim-looking jumpsuit she wore yesterday, and her sharp amber eyes caught sight of her granddaughter as well as the hired man. She asked what the hell happened to them both while she was away - especially about Hanaru's wrinkled clothing, so the latter decided to tell her the truth about Tashi being sick and burning with a fever last night, that she tended to him all night and also got soaked while getting the horses into the barn for safety.

However, Mama Kushina would have a cow if she saw this and got the wrong idea.

And speaking of which, Tsunade told her that her mother was still at the inn while the bridge was being fixed. Naruto was also still at the Hyuuga manor, by the looks of it, and when she got home, she had to look presentable and like a lady so that no questions were asked.

This thing about secrets made her think about the one Tashi wanted her to keep. She watched him step down the porch to help her grandmother unsaddle the horse, and when he helped her down, she winced at her stiff joints. Tashi asked her about the truck, taking the shotgun from her and laying it down on the porch, to which she laughed and said that he didn't have to bother until the bridge was opened again before the day was over, or the next morning. "Not like it's really going anywhere!"

Tsunade also had some really interesting news to share which piqued both Hanaru and Tashi: those two crooks, Hidan and Kakuzu, were seen in town, but not alive. Sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of water and having eaten something before she got home, she told them both about how they were laid on the back of the assistant commissioner's wagon like shot buck. Said old Sarutobi had gotten his shotgun and killed them both when he caught them trying to steal more than enough eggs from his family's chicken coop. His son, Asuma, then phoned the assistant commissioner's office.

_Really, those two resorting to stealing chicken eggs? My God, to turn a tidy profit with THAT? Oh, well, they could have done a lot worse if the old man hadn't been armed and protecting his property and family. _

Tashi chuckled before getting serious. "Did you inform him about those no-goods being at your own house?"

She scoffed. "Never would have made a difference. Besides that, he was busy as it was. Now those bastards can be judged by Enma for all we care." She finished off the glass of water in a gulp. "And if my son and daughter-in-law knew about it, they'd pluck me off these grounds faster than you can say Amaterasu."

Now Hanaru thought about Tashi, when he had decided to stay. She liked to think he had been expecting the law to show up, but chose to remain in order to help Son Gokū breed her mares. Except when she went out there to the barn, having taken to seeing Tsunade's horse back into his place, she scowled when she saw that Matatabi and Kokuō were still as modest and withheld as nuns, and she shook her head. "Girls, honestly, you have no idea what you're missing! A fine gentleman like Son Gokū does NOT come along every day of the week." _And neither does a man like Tashi._

She had no idea where the hell a thought like that came from. He made the clear hint that he was a fugitive, and she knew full well the many stories of women who ended up with broken hearts when a handsome face like that left them with nothing. Idiots let that happen to them.

Hanaru decided that talking to Tashi before she left was not a good idea, because when they were around each other, defenses were stripped down. She wasn't in the mood for that today.

Son Gokū and the mares were turned loose onto the paddock, Tsunade's gelding returned to his stall with his partner, and Shukaku was ready for the ride back home. Unfortunately, she ended up not getting her wish regarding a certain man of mystery.

She nearly ran into him when she got Shukaku, and that stormy expression made her wonder if he was here to threaten her rather than thank her... "There a reason you're here? To tell me you're gonna stay after all and help Grandma?" she asked carefully, and those eyes narrowed now, giving him the appearance of a man capable of anything.

"Appears to be so, but can I count on you to keep my secret, Hanaru?" Tashi asked coolly.

She nodded, slightly relieved. "Yes, as long as you don't give us reason to worry, and ensure the mares breed."

He nodded back with a single grunt. "And you have my word about everything."

"When I still don't know anything about you, Tashi." _Except everything you've made me feel._

He agreed with her. "You know only enough that will just endanger me. And if I can't trust you, it's best I take my leave. Your grandmother can always hire someone else to help her. I can't tell you what I did, for safety reasons." Hanaru bit her bottom lip; he was right, because if she knew about his deeds, she'd be in the wrong in aiding and abetting. It was for the best she didn't know.

So, it was agreed: he'd remain until Son Gokū bred the girls, but if things were no longer safe, Tashi would vanish and take the stallion. And trembling, she held out her hand for him to seal the deal - and he laid his larger, equally calloused palm with hers.

And then it seemed he was leaning down towards her, but would she make a fool out of herself if she mistook it for a kiss? She shook her head and walked off, leaving him there and letting him think she had a hell of a brain to not fall for such charms, or make a mistake that it was.

She had Shukaku ready to go home, and then she would clean up and change clothes, then fall asleep on the bed for a nap after the past twenty-four hours of a rollercoaster.

_Maybe at home, I'll do something to not dwell about the man who calls himself Tashi._

~o~

Hanaru on horseback was so glorious that his throat dried: her straight back, her hair like the sun in rays of gold and red, and her rear end outlined by denim as it bounced in the saddle. It was never going to escape from his psyche, like day one when she walked away and led the horse with. Amplifying was the memory of her body straddling his, her sweet ass cradled by his hands, and her smoldering rosy lips against his. And when he pushed her away, the embarrassment and hurt in her eyes cut him like a knife.

He didn't know what possessed him to lean down close to her face, but thank the gods she pulled away this time. Maybe there was hope that she understood his restraint and he didn't need to lecture her. She was maybe two years his junior, but she showed she could be superior despite the gap.

But in case she was still more naïve than he thought, he planned to speak to Tsunade about giving her granddaughter a talking to - except that meant facing the barrel of her shotgun and being chased off the lands.

Well, now that she was gone, he had work to do, and the hay shed needed repairing after the rainstorm. Replacing the hay as well as the roof. Anything to keep him occupied, and with Son Gokū with the two females who were not interested in him by the looks of it...well, he thought about Hanaru's words about a "gentleman not coming around every day of the week", and admittedly, it was true.

Just as a girl like her didn't happen every day of the week.

Itachi chuckled as his stallion sniffed at the hind of the mare called Kokuō, and all he could do was hope the breeding could happen, and then he'd be gone. As soon as the two females were impregnated, then he'd give the old woman an excuse to leave her services, before he would go off to Kusa...

...only to be haunted by crystalline irises that would be with him once he left Konoha.

~o~

The shower was nice and hot, and her muscles relaxed. Her favorite shampoo, conditioner and body wash left her smelling luxuriously of lilies and lilacs. She drew back the curtain of lush flowers and striped valance to dry off and dress up in another pair of her favorite jeans with a white blouse that opened to show a matching tank which accentuated her chest and waist.

Yet it didn't erase her thoughts about Tashi. Her lips still tingled with the memory of that kiss. As she mentioned before, she'd kissed a few boys at dances and parties, and one guy, Kabuto Yakushi, had been sweet and kind, before going off to the war as a medic - and coming home in a box. With him, the lip contacts were sweet, though uncomfortable. She also had to pull away when she sensed that he'd wanted more from it.

Tashi was the one to pull away, this time. He really caused pleasurable aftershocks in her, and she could see why some girls got themselves in trouble: they never got enough of this honeyed perception which was wild and made you burst within like a tree of blossoms. This was troublesome, since Hanaru had always been one of the "good girls", and all it took was for _Tashi_ to change her viewpoint entirely. Made her start thinking about all the things she wanted to do with him...

This was her only option: leave the man and just avoid him altogether. She could only hope this tingling would pass one day. It could just be hormones.

The house itself wasn't in bad shape when she checked it out, and no longer was she longing for a nap after that shower woke her up. If she was lucky, her mother would still be in town for some hours until the bridge was back in shape, and who knew what the hell Naruto was still doing with Hinata and her family. Until then, Hanaru decided to check on Kurama, take care of things there, and then settle down to watch a movie of her choosing - one where seven samurai were hired by a village to protect them from bandits.

What startled her was the sound of a horn honking, and she bolted out of bed to the window, seeing the familiar family jeep, and then out came gray covered with white sunflowers. Behind her was a jolt of orange and black - Naruto in his favorite sweat set, and their mom with him as she carried a few plastic white bags of groceries, while he got the last two. _Must have spent the time picking them up together before coming home. _

Hanaru hurried and shrugged on short boots before going out there to help her family. Kushina was frazzled and mussed up after spending a night in a motel room of all places, but it wouldn't ever be the last. "Hanaru, thank God, it's good to be home! We leave home for one day, then everything goes to ruin! I wanted to phone and ask your grandmother if she was all right, and you, too, but damn those phones lines!" She shook her head. "Well, never mind. After we get these groceries settled, you go over there to check up on her, and take your brother with you. Spent the whole night with the Hyuugas that I wonder how the hell Hiashi managed to keep him away from his daughter's room."

"MOM!" Naruto practically screeched and put his hands to his ears. "Really, Hinata and I aren't even ready for that kind of thing!"

"Boy, lower your voice." Yeah, as long as he still lived at home, Naruto was treated as a child more than elder sister was. "You're gonna go with your sister today, and I expect you to be on your best behavior. I better not hear of any mishaps," Kushina warned, before, just like that, she switched to jovial and bright in a heartbeat. "On a lighter note, kids, and that is Kakashi and Iruka coming to visit us in ten days from now. They've been in Kyoto since the last month, and now they're coming here for a few days at the very least before they settle back home."

Kakashi Hatake was a longtime best friend of Minato's, almost like a brother to him, so therefore it made him a somewhat uncle to her and Naruto. Iruka Umino was his life partner, and retired principal of the high school. They lived a hell of a comfortable life traveling the world and bringing back great stories to tell, even surprising her and Naruto with a gift or two. _And they'll be here in ten days!_

Hanaru was excited that something familiar and relaxing in her life would be here to hopefully take her mind off things.

Except...Naruto going with her to Grandma's would be problematic. No doubt he would open his mouth about the new hired man to Kushina. Which meant Hanaru had to be careful.

Despite the storm the previous day, the day was bright and clear, and the wild lilies in the field were a majestic blanket of pure white as well as dark to light shades of pink, ending with mustard yellow. There were also blue and light purple as well as white irises. As the horses walked past them, flocks of butterflies flew into the air. Naruto brought with him the basket of sweet dumplings and rice balls in arm. He took Shukaku while Hanaru had Kurama, and this sparked a renewed debate about riding her prized horse that their father bestowed on HER alone. "Why do I have to be the one to carry all this food?!"

"Because Kurama could buck and make me lose the basket as well as spill everything," Hanaru answered. "Shukaku is too well-behaved for that, so you get him, little brother."

"Then can I ride Kurama home?"

She scowled at him. "Naruto, we talked about this. Kurama is hardly even broken, and I told you time and time again that he doesn't trust you yet. And you might make the wrong move by scaring him." He scowled back and pouted, but he couldn't even fold his arms across his chest.

"You know, that's not fair! I'm allowed to ride all the good ones instead of the horses that are more challenging!" _And you don't take reckless challenges with the horses that aren't saddle broken. _"You know what? You're just like Mom: you don't cave in that easily, so how about this? Know what it's really like to kiss someone?"

Hanaru was taken off-guard. Her brother thought to shock her when it was clear that he and Hinata must have kissed before, though she'd never seen it or heard about it. If Dad were here, she would have said that was a discussion to be saved man to man, but her memory was wracked with sweet fire. "Well, from my past experiences," she said instead, "it depends if you like the person or not. If you don't, compare it to biting a rotten piece of fish." This made him wrinkle his nose and grunt in disgust. "However, if you really like them, then it's sweet as flowers as well as dumplings. You'd want so much of it, but on the other hand, if you want TOO much, things get out of hand." And that was something she knew all too well.

Naruto was satisfied enough that he didn't even have to ask for more. "Well, that made me happy for how things are between Hinata and me," he said proudly, before he sniggered. "And what about that new man Granny hired? The one with the stallion? Mom said you took the mares over to breed with that horse."

"Yup, the one and same."

"Is he dapper?"

"The horse? Hell to the yeah," Hanaru answered, laughing. "He's a true beauty that you don't see every day."

Her brother frowned, brows coming together in a thin line. "No, silly, I meant the MAN. What does he look like?" _Tall, dark and handsome. Long hair he keeps pinned behind his head, eyes black like those locks and underlined with slants like a weasel's features, firm lips which provide the greatest pleasure in the world, and a body created by a god's hands. _All of which was, just like the things placed on the highest pedestals, unattainable.

"...no one special." And so, she would keep telling herself that even after he was gone with his stallion. Gone with the wind itself. All she could wish for was Son Gokū's bloodline in the foals, but then Tashi would just be a distant memory. He'd just be brought to justice by someone else.

She'd never find out why he was wanted by the law, but he'd said that what he did _had_ to be done. Except words like that were pitiful enough to justify actions like this. Everything from petty theft to army desertion...to _murder._

Except he was the one to kiss her so feverishly and embrace her the way he did. _So, I still need to find out._

"Oh, sister, look! Granny's house!"

Indeed, they arrived, and she warned him about the fence which Tashi had repaired, which made her brother happy. And there was their grandmother, walking out of the house with a basket of linens, since these parts gave her very little to do. She could have had a new clothes washer and dryer, but she loved doing a lot of things old-fashioned. _Hope she doesn't let it slip that I stayed here all night with Tashi..._

She didn't see him around, nor the stallion. Part of her thought that he betrayed the promise after all, but she planned to ask her grandmother. She saw timbers next to the hay shed which was in progress of being renovated after the storm. And beneath the only pine tree on the grounds, the two mares were grazing the grass. She led Kurama over there, Naruto following her with Shukaku and the food. They then headed towards their grandmother who was throwing a pillowcase over the line.

Tsunade looked their way with a bright smile and closed eyes. "Both of my favorite grandchildren today! I was just thinking about you two." She put the last of the linens on and then wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "I was gonna now take a break and rest my feet." Then her eyes fell to the basket in her grandson's hands. "Ah, let me guess: your mother."

"Yup!" Naruto's face instantly lit up. "Dumplings and rice balls. Mom and big sis both made them!"

The old woman laughed, putting herself in between them and placing one arm around each shoulder. "This calls for a celebration, and that includes the green tea with peach juice I planned on making!" she declared.

Hanaru's mouth watered at the mention of the updated version of green tea splashed with fruit juice. Talk about better health benefits! That left Naruto to go off and tie his horse to the paddock - and that made her narrow her eyes. He wanted to ride Kurama that badly, so she had to worry he could do something irresponsible. Despite nearing the age of manhood, some things about him never changed.

She washed the peaches and ended up cleaning out their big seeds, watched as her grandmother filled up the water pot and added the green tea leaves herself. "Where's Tashi?"

"He started off with repairing the shed, but I was concerned that heavy lifting would make it hard for him after he'd been sick. So, he's off to ride the fence and inspect any damage from the storm." Hanaru nodded, slicing another peach into completion, but her silence made Tsunade narrow her eyes. "Girl, you're not getting too...attached to him, are you?"

"No," Hanaru said quickly. "It wouldn't be a good idea. But I was wondering: has he ever told you anything about himself?"

"Nothing to put my finger on. But believe me, I know after so many years of living when a man has one too many secrets. He hasn't given me a reason to be afraid for my own life...except men like him are magnets for trouble. A girl wouldn't be a fool to give her heart to someone like that," Tsunade stated with a tap on the counter.

"Oh, Grandma, no need to worry about that. I -" She was interrupted by a sound that broke outside; she could still hear through the kitchen's glass window. It sounded like a _scream_. She peered out through said window and felt her heart drop, and the cutting knife fell right into the sink if not the drain.

Kurama was bolting frantically across the paddock - with NARUTO fearfully clinging to the stallion's back!

"Oh, God!" She was outside in a flash, hurrying to get her boots back on so she could go save her brother, inwardly cursing that idiot - but also praying to the gods to help. Her stallion was making way for the far end of the fence, and if he failed to make it past barbed wire, it would mean both him and her brother would be in a grotesque heap of broken bones and ripped flesh. Naruto would be miserable with his new looks for life...but he was saved as Kurama managed to make the leap; it was far from over, but thank God Shukaku was still saddled. Hanaru wasted no time jumping onto him and galloping after the duo.

If they both got out of this, she was going to beat Naruto's ass herself.

The sad fact was that Shukaku, despite his years, could never match up to the speed of Kurama. All she could count on was that her boy would get tired and start slowing down...

Now they were making way out into the fields of wild lilies, where yellow and white blossoms were thrown into the air with each prance. The sweet and spicy perfumes only made her stomach lurch with her heart. How could she not stick to the concern Naruto would do something like this?! _I swear, if something DOES happen to him, I will never forgive myself!_

Naruto now had lost hold of the reins and held onto the horse's neck. His cheeks must be shining with tears by now; if only Hinata could see him now, but this wasn't the time to joke or scold him. And her terror amplified when they approached a _bog_ \- a hundred yards or so away - and Kurama was heading straight for it, never mind that he was slowing down. That low hill of yellowish grass, gnats and flies, as well as oozing water was no place for a horse.

_Shit, damn it, there's no way Shukaku can keep giving his all!_

But then, her luck may have changed: there was the familiar brown beauty of a stallion, its rider bearing a long mane of black hair just so she could recognize him. _Tashi!_ Thank God the even more powerful Son Gokū was more than a match for Kurama.

She watched it all: Tashi managed to catch up to poor Naruto, and he pulled Kurama to a halt by seizing his bridle, but that would mean her brother would be thrown off and trampled by the large animal...and the choice in the end was a lose scenario on one side, but not the "savior". He roared at Naruto to let go, and when he did, the blond ended up jerked from the saddle and right behind Tashi who swung Son Gokū, reining him to a halt and dropping the rescue onto the grass.

But as Naruto was safe and sound, in a whimpering and blubbering heap - unlike a blooming man - Kurama ended up rocketing towards the small swamp.

**Enma in East Asian and Buddhist lore is a god said to judge the dead and rule the underworld, preside over the cycle of the afterlife. One example of this deity is in the 1960 Japanese horror film "Jigoku". Ugh, the brutal punishments of wrongdoers makes me crawl in my skin. **

**Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" is a masterpiece. :D I saw it for the first time last week on the TCM channel, and it was an epic. Also, did anyone catch the "gone with the wind" phrase? ;D**

**Oh, God, now that Naruto has been saved, what will become of poor Kurama? :O Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter. **


	7. I'll Cry Today and Tomorrow

**Chapter was originally "I'll Cry Tomorrow".**

Chapter Seven

I'll Cry Today and Tomorrow

A hell of a mess this day turned out to be.

He pulled Son Gokū to a stop, watching as the other stallion pitched forward and went down, the sound of bones reaching his ears. He exhaled sharply, bringing his companion to a halt. After yesterday's heavy pour, it was expected to find rain-filled holes in these parts.

Naruto - _the little fool _\- was sobbing and rasping that he was so sorry, and his sister held him close, softly assuring him that he was safe, and that was all that mattered. However, Itachi was certain that she was cursing him for his stupidity, which was something he'd do himself.

He turned to look down at the pitiful beast now laying on the ground, the front right leg torn at an abnormal and nauseating angle, the breathing harsh and shallow. He whinnied in uncontrollable agony, which broke Hanaru's heart. He knew how much she loved Kurama, and her foolish brother had to risk his own life as well as end up bringing her cherished ride to his end. He just had to learn this lesson the hard way. Part of him pitied the Hyuuga girl he was involved with. "Naruto, get on Shukaku and ride back to your grandmother's place. Your sister and I will take care of this one." He pulled out his revolver, the glint making Hanaru hesitate despite knowing there was no other option. There were doctors around these parts to mend broken limbs, but he doubted Kurama would be what he used to be. So he had to deserve something more peaceful and without anymore trouble.

Naruto's eyes were red and swollen, cheeks moist and unmanly. He'd grown up on a ranch and had to know this would happen. It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't disobeyed his sister. Hanaru herself fared no better, swallowing visibly. She almost lost her brother and would now lose her beloved stallion. She helped him onto the saddle of Shukaku, and the reins were hitched to take them both back to Tsunade's house, in a field of pastel color.

"I'll put him out of his misery for you, Hanaru," Itachi told her, unlocking the safety and raising the barrel, but she stopped him.

"No, I'll do it. He's my horse."

He watched as she stood over the broken brute, then raised the weapon, finger on the trigger...and fired the shot. Some blood splattered across the soiled earth. Black birds cawed and took flight at the ringing shot.

She dropped the gun, Itachi swiftly catching it and putting the safety back on. He gently guided her back to Son Gokū, going away from yellowed grass and back onto solid grounds. The corpse of her stallion would remain there to be food for parasites and infesting creatures, like many poor horses of the past. She seemed to be thinking the same, for she turned and sobbed hoarsely into him. She clutched onto his hard warmth, crying so hard he had to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way.

At this moment, he chose to just be there for her. She really needed a shoulder to cry on, and he was the only one available. No doubt Tsunade would be giving that grandson of hers a good earful and who knew what.

Hanaru looked so lovely and delicate as a flower, but when she took his gun and put her Kurama out of his misery, she broke down like a lost little animal who needed protection. Therefore, he really did want to protect her and cherish her, keep her safe and comfortable for the rest of their days...what a hell of a mess, indeed.

Nothing extreme of the sorts would happen here on these grounds, and not ever. He was taking her back to her grandmother's. But after that, he would come back out here with a shovel and dig a grave big enough for the stallion. No vultures or birds of prey would come for the remains.

But then, just as they reached Son Gokū, he not only put her down, but nuzzled her cheeks and forehead to give her enough of what she was asking for, and that was it. "I'll come back and bury him for you, Hanaru. Don't worry about him being the way he is."

"You don't want me to help? I know how to shovel," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

He helped her onto the stallion first, then got behind her to get them onward. "No. Thank you, but no. I can handle the job alone. And don't remind me that I have been sick. I'll deal with overexertion and recover fast."

Her head jerked around, her jaw gritted so much her teeth threatened to shatter. "Give me one blasted reason why not," she argued, and here they went again.

"Because we can't be alone together anymore!" Itachi growled. "I can't even keep my hands off of you."

You'd have thought she'd take that and go, but what she said next made him stifle a groan, right after taking so deep a breath he felt it against her back and his chest. "Tashi, I think I'm in -"

He knew what she was going to say and had to stop it. "If you were wise, you'd get those foolish ideas out of your head," he snapped, then whipped the reins so that the stallion picked up speed which matched his temper strings. "You want to be in love with someone, then find someone else besides me. They will give you the happiness I can't ever give you." Her inhale of breath and the shivering told him he hurt her feelings, which he considered a kindness compared to other options. "And don't ask me anymore questions, not even what I'm running from. You know better than to ask, and while you may have promised not to talk, I've reached my limits. Ask me once more, and I'll take this horse and leave you without your breeds. I'm only remaining here for just that, but I've had enough."

"You son of a bitch, that's a threat," she hissed, refusing to look at him, and he sighed sharply. Her attitude was because she was protecting herself now, and no doubt she'd keep this up for a long time. _Women never let you forget - not even broken hearts and strong personalities. Just as Mom used to tell Sasuke and I._

"No, it's a warning. I'll help you for the foals, and not at the risk of my freedom. Understood?"

"Yes, now shut the hell up and take me home!" Hanaru rapped, sounding like she wanted to turn and slap him if only they weren't on this horse. She was just asking to be bent over and struck with his belt, but he wasn't going to do that.

She wasn't going to be the one to hold ransom over his soul, this most dangerous female he'd ever met. Maybe he just made her all the more now that he talked to her the way he did.

Son Gokū picked up a great galloping rate, and they were back at Tsunade's in no time.

~o~

_I can't believe all of this: the stallion I nurtured myself died an ugly and meaningless death by my own hand, and I'm in love with a man who is wrong for me - who will _never _be mine. _

What the hell had she been thinking, attempting to pour her heart out? Tashi made it clear he didn't love her, wanted to keep it that way, so to hell with him. Might as well be forced to find one of those boring guys who would just be intimidated by her and not know how to keep up with her, much less learn.

But her mom and dad were opposites that still worked, and so did her grandparents.

She built such a strong wall around her heart now that she would wish anyone luck in tearing it down. He wanted another fight, he had it, but that didn't mean she'd give up. But for now, Hanaru had to be forced to swallow it down if she wanted those foals between Son Gokū and the mares. He wanted his brick walls up, too. Nothing she could do.

Son Gokū had such incredible speed and strength that she thought he could win the race for the whole family. Except the thought did little to ease the sickening of her heart and stomach at Tashi's rejection as well as the tragedy of Kurama. Her eyes stung each time she listened to this stallion's hooves and recalled the painful glaze in the eyes of her own before she pulled the trigger and saw the blood hit the rotten earth. _I want to just find Naruto and do what I swore I'd do to him for this stupid mistake. Just beat his ass until there's nothing left but legs and nothing to sit on!_

Except it wasn't going to bring her beloved Kurama back. Just as crying wasn't doing it. The least she could do was be grateful Tashi saved her brother's life.

There her brother was - well, Shukaku was tied to the paddock post, and her brother must be in the house with Grandma. "He'll be all right, but what about you?" Tashi asked.

"I'll have to be, won't I?" She got down from the horse without his help. She would not look at him, nor would she ask him if he needed any water. "Thanks for saving my brother and that you'll bury Kurama. Get the shovel and get to work."

He said nothing, not that she wanted to hear anything. That was fine with her. He exhaled sharply, and she could picture him shaking his head. But before he walked off just as she was taking the first step up the porch, he suddenly called to her.

"Since you saved me yourself, it was even."

_Not gonna give you the time of day even if you beg me, you mysterious, righteous _bastard.

She paused by the door to look into the kitchen's direction, seeing Tsunade sitting there and with Naruto's head in her lap, and he was crying his heart out. The old woman, while tender, had her mouth in a firm line. She looked up and saw Hanaru there, nodding but saying nothing, and her face softened.

Hanaru chose now to take care of Shukaku. She took him to the barn and set about unsaddling him, then washing him down; part of her knew Naruto should do it as punishment, but her grief was so strong that she needed something else more soothing to comfort her. Forget those damned kisses which made her feel like a fool again.

She should have known better. Should have known men gave girls kisses all the time, because they could. It was unfair to every layer of hell.

Shukaku whinnied softly, understanding her pain and gently nudging her to remind her he was here for her, sharing her sorrow.

~o~

Itachi wiped the sweat from his forehead. The afternoon had gotten so hot that this was what it came to. He had gotten so much sun that his honeyed skin could use some more of the summer sun, so he ended up opening the front of his pastel shirt to breathe in the front. Thank the gods he wore his cowboy hat to protect him as he worked, his bun tucked up underneath, but the gathered locks would be knotted together with perspiration; he would definitely need a long, cold shower after all of this - and anything to rid himself of the lingering heated passion that grew because of earlier.

His injured shoulder was still slowly healing, but it throbbed the harder he worked with a vigor, creating a huge pile by now of dirt. He was close enough to the carcass so that he could bring it over to the grave. Any birds of prey would catch the stench of death and be here any moment.

He was doing his best to not dwell on Hanaru. That woman was acting like a petulant child, but that was how Sasuke behaved when they were children - until their father "set him straight". _But she has every right. _Damn it, he was haunted by her eyes glimmering with anger and tears, her cold rage, and her words haunted him like a ghost. If it hadn't turned out the way it did, it could still have been her in his arms and so much more.

He had hurt her, treated her with contempt when he didn't really mean it. Falling in love with her in return was as natural as the seasons changing, but it wasn't to be.

Now the grave was as deep as up to his chest, and he could still get out with both arms. He took the rope from Son Gokū and looped it around the remains of the beautiful stallion she'd loved to death. After he dragged it to its final resting place, he needed a cold splash and Tsunade's cooking, ending with a good night's sleep when the day was over.

By the time he was finished, the light was starting to fade. He'd worked all day and no doubt had a lot more to do at the ranch. He was so exhausted he thought he would faint, and there was a dark streak in the earth after he dragged the stallion into the ditch and covered it with the raw earth. When Hanaru came by, and he knew she would, she would see everything in order.

It was then that he caught a familiar smell as he began to walk away from the burial site, which brought him to the yellowish reeds near the bog. The grass areas where he dragged the dead horse were flattened by the action, and that strange blackness which didn't fit with the norm - the scent reached his nostrils again, and when he knelt down to pick up a sample, he recognized it at once: _it's oil. _

Besides training under his father and Fugaku's "friends", he had experience as an engineer. He once worked for the drilling company, involved with pinpointing the best spots for wells. Now that he knew what this was, the question was what to do about this oil, as it was near Senju property. It wasn't too far away from Tsunade's place, being near a low hill and prone to seepage, but if she were to be interested, this could make her a hell of a wealthy woman, same with her son's family - which included Hanaru herself.

What did it matter? It wasn't his business, and it wasn't like he could approach Minato, her father, without revealing his true identity.

Itachi managed to side saddle the tools on Son Gokū's left, before getting on the saddle himself. By this time, the sun was leaving behind a canvas of mauve pink, golden orange, and light blue. Two white egrets were coming to touch down on the bog as he was departing. It reminded him of every day he remained here, increasing the expected complications.

_I made a damned promise to Hanaru. If I break my word, she'll be so enraged she would want to really forget about me. Or she could go to the assistant commissioner and expose me, which isn't something I am willing to gamble on. Which means I'm stuck here, whether I like it or not. _

As for his stallion, since those mares had come into heat, then there would be one thing on Son Gokū's mind. Heaven help any poor idiot who would get in his way, counting Itachi himself.

Twilight approached, creating more shadows. When he reached Tsunade's house, the lights were on. Hanaru and Naruto must be gone by now, which was a great relief. He could picture them riding home on that gelding, shoulders drooped with grief and guilt.

_"Thanks for saving my brother and that you'll bury Kurama. Get the shovel and get to work."_ Those cold words made him assume she was starting to be over him. Except a day or two was never enough, and what he said was enough to harden a girl's heart.

_"Tashi, I think I'm in love with you."_

He had cut her off, but that was what she would have said. She thought she knew what love was based on a feeling alone, but she didn't even know his REAL name. She knew nothing except lies, and the truth was endangering.

Those damned, sweet and honest words were going to haunt him to the end of his days.

~o~

She was taking the family car into town today. She had a license and knew how to drive, but she preferred a horse's company rather than the machines which required uncontrollable tech gears that would break after too much use or lack of care. Unlike a horse.

Kushina told her it was good for her to get out of the house for awhile, and plus, she had some errands for her to run. Therefore, the vehicle was needed rather than Shukaku. The back of the convertible was cranked down, and her ponytail flapped out behind her. It had been only a couple days since she pulled the trigger and gave Kurama the mercy kill. As well as Tashi's kiss to comfort her in the nightmare - and his cruel words.

Despite swearing she would give him the cold shoulder, she continued to dream about him and _crave him._

Maybe this visit to the town would clear her head. Her mom also told her to take her time in case she saw any of her friends, such as Temari and Hinata. If she was lucky, the former could be in town on a lunch break, but she didn't know about the Hyuuga unless she, too, had errands. _After moping around the ranch, this feels a little better._

But they both had clear futures - Hinata to marry Naruto one day and help him balance her family's ranch as well as his, Temari a successful career woman with law enforcement, though not as an officer - while she herself was in limbo, being certain one minute and then uncertain the next. Each passing day, it would only get worse.

It was about time she checked up on the mares, since her grandmother would no doubt wonder why she hadn't come by. Unless Tsunade would call her herself, but then again, Tashi could ask her to wait and do that until after he left. For all Hanaru knew, that could have been the last time she'd see him. She refrained herself from driving to Grandma's ranch on impulse, since that would make her look like an idiot as well as feel like one. And if Tashi wanted to see her, he'd find a way, but she had to face the painful truth. She had to just get over this.

Plus, she wanted to see Kurama's grave and place flowers of remembrance, ones available in the season. And she had to see how the mares were, by saddling up Shukaku and going out there. If that asshole were there...

She pushed him to the back of her mind. It was no concern in the slightest where he was. But she had no idea if him being gone or him still being there would hurt more.

She finally made it here. Konoha was bustling and prosperous. It was filled with a population of a thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven people, counting the families that owned the ranches and farms. There were also two big banks, the only and functional gas station there was, a tavern, an inn and restaurant as well as smaller food stands, and so many stores. As well were the train station and airport. She saw people strolling the sidewalks: families with their children, young couples, businessmen, ranchers and farmers in town. And a wolf-like dog barked and trailed after his young master who was on a bike and delivering the newspapers.

Her black tee was covered with red and white roses on green vines, skirt matching but plain and made of the same material. Hanaru parked the convertible jeep and took out the letter that Kushina gave her. There were only eight items needed: more white rice, a two-pound slab of chicken from the butcher's shop, medicine for the family milk cow who had gotten sick, fresh apples, two bottles of soy sauce, a bundle of sugar for sweet dumplings and tea, finally being milk because of the cow.

Her brother was also being a worry since they went home. He still blamed himself for what happened to Kurama, telling her he should have listened to her, and then her stallion would still be alive. Plus, he got a major yank of the ear by Kushina who screamed that she would keep him at the house for the rest of the month to be her slave as punishment.

Naruto also mentioned the man their grandmother hired, who also saved his life. This gave Hanaru every reason to worry all the more, since Kushina could find a reason to visit her mother-in-law's ranch so that she could see this knight who rescued her son. Which made things harder now.

Hanaru got everything she needed, having not seen anyone - not even Hinata - because she had no time to talk, due to too much being on her mind. She had put the bagged purchases into the small trunk when she saw the assistant commissioner's office. It was made of red bricks like in the west, and she couldn't ignore it any longer, locking the vehicle before going up to look at the posters in the window. She didn't recognize the wanted men and women in the pictures, though they were yellowed and worn from being in the sun. If there were better ones or updated images, then she had no choice but to do one thing: _go inside._

The icy cold fear was back with a vengeance. She really needed to see Tashi's face on those posters, and she was sure she'd recognize him, even if it wasn't his real name or if he changed his appearance a notch. Those slants beneath his eyes could surely give him away. Whether he wanted her to know or not, she deserved the facts.

But then again, Tashi said loud and clear that she was better off never knowing. Curiosity killed the cat, they said. She should just get into the jeep and go home - but no, she owed it to her family and herself.

Now she was in here, and the air conditioning washed over her exposed arms and legs. Her short heeled sandals with white rosettes clicked softly on the tiled floors. The door had been slightly ajar, and the assistant commissioner as well as his chief inspector stepped out, leaving a few other officers at their places. Part of her felt small and humbled, but it was okay, since she'd known Rasa Sabaku and his children all her life. His daughter Temari was her best friend and worked here as the secretary, and his youngest son Gaara was one of Naruto's best friends, intending to join the police force himself, which left middle child Kankuro off to serve in the army.

She chose to walk further into the hallway so she could see the bulletin on the wall. There were newspaper articles, announcements and even wanted ads tacked to the surface. From left to right, up and down did Hanaru look at them all, hoping to see Tashi's face, but so far, nothing. She tried one more time before a suave but rugged voice startled her from behind.

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Hanaru Uzumaki. Come to pay us a visit, have you?"

It was none other than Danzo Shimura, whom she guessed before she could even turn around. There was always something about the police chief inspector that always made her skin crawl. He was middle-aged, his eyes were sharp as bullets - half his face covered by white bandages as he'd suffered an old facial deformity - his dark hair a matted down buzz as he'd once served this country before retiring and joining Konoha's force, though despite his record, he could have risen to a higher seat like her friend's father. He was subdued, but he never took his eyes off her. Like last winter when she ended up dancing with him, and he held her so tight it almost felt like a warning. The bells went off then and there. He didn't even think to touch her further because of who her family was and the fact she was the best friend of his superior's daughter. Shimura was a respected member of the community, though before he was appointed chief inspector by Temari and Gaara's father, he had been around a shady crowd, so it was believed that Rasa promoted him in order to keep those suspicious friends under control.

The last thing Hanaru wanted was to be alone with this man. "Hello to you, too, Chief Inspector. I was looking for the AC." _Abbreviation for assistant commissioner. _His eye glinted.

"I see. Rasa has been taken sick the last couple days, so until he returns, I am in charge. If you require assistance, I consider it an honor to help." His mouth spread to a subtle smirk to one corner of his mouth.

"Nothing much, but to just see any posters. I saw this...strange man on the road today, so curiosity got the best of me. I haven't yet found a picture, so maybe it's just a harmless visitor or newcomer."

"Hmm...indeed, but we can never be too sure. We did receive a batch of new posters two days ago when Rasa took ill, so he hasn't had the chance to examine them." Shimura held up a brown manila folder then, and her heart skipped a beat. Then his attention shifted past her, the iris widening a little. "Ah, good, you have come. Perhaps you can enlighten your friend while I go take care of a matter." He handed the folder over to Hanaru, and she took it, letting him go out the front door. She quickly turned around and gasped in amazement.

"Temari!"

"Hanaru!" Her best friend since girlhood was in a sharp white blouse and navy blue tulip skirt with gladiator-like leather heeled boots, blonde hair still in four pigtails, and in her ears were gorgeous blue-green gems - matching her eyes - ringed with white. The girls wasted no time embracing, telling each other it had been a while, and then Temari quickly shared wonderful news since Shikamaru Nara proposed to her: she was finally wearing a ring, which had been his late mother's, and it was so unique as it bore an emerald and a sapphire together, which was "sky meets earth". Hanaru was so happy for her, but now it was down to why she had come here. And they had to take it elsewhere rather than here with the deputies and officers.

"You're lucky old man Danzo stepped out, since I saw the way he still looks at you," Temari said, shaking her head and tucking the folder beneath her arm. "But at least he's only doing his job and hasn't gone far...yet."

_You took the words out of my mouth. _And here she was in Temari's private office, though it was small and adjacent to her father's and the chief inspector's. Hanaru sat in the chair for visitors and set about opening the folder herself.

What she found turned out to be nothing more than a dozen wanted for various reasons: petty theft, rape, and even murder. Even this one youth who had a face anyone could trust was wanted for fraud in attempting to sell an old oil well. So far was nothing but a waste of time -

\- but the fourth caught her attention, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Temari was watching her but didn't say anything. And yet Hanaru couldn't take her eyes off what she was seeing:

_Those lines beneath the same eyes...the bangs framing his face...but he's shaven, and his hair is tied below his neck. _And there it was written in bold print.

**WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE**  
**ITACHI UCHIHA**  
**For the Cold-Blooded Murder of Fugaku Uchiha**

**Contact Superintendent Mei Terumi**

**$2,000 REWARD**

There were more details at the bottom of the page in fine print, but Hanaru found herself too shaken to keep reading.

**To be fair, when Itachi yells at her for her foolish feelings and her defenses right back, I felt like something in me had triggered when I reread the part in the book. Like, no matter the reasoning, if I was in the position, I'd act the same way Hanaru did in order to protect my feelings. **

**REVIEW! :3 Please give lots o detail!**


	8. Deception

**This is perhaps the longest chapter ever, compared to the rest of the story. XD **

Chapter Eight

Deception

"Hanaru, what is it? Have you...seen this man?"

Temari's voice made her jump in her chair. Seeing her friend's concern only made her blood continue to boil. She hated lying to her, but she didn't feel ready. "No, the man I might have seen looked...older. And darker, just like someone from Eastern Europe, I suppose. I'm sorry, Tem. I'm feeling somewhat sick..."

She quickly closed the envelope and hastily laid it on the desk, getting up and hurrying out of this area before making way out of the police building. She failed to notice Danzo Shimura still around, noticing her with a narrowed weasel-like eye. But her stomach was too wild to allow her to pay attention. _I hope Temari doesn't say a word to him, since she hates him and suspects him as much as anyone else. _

One thing was sure: she had to warn Tashi to not go into town for any reason.

Hanaru cranked the jeep to life, then settled back into the driver's seat before bringing herself out on the main road which interconnected with the one that would take her back home. But as soon as she was on the rural gravel, she dwelled on what she had learned, even if that was only the scratched surface. Since she couldn't think of him by any other name - not even his real one, _Itachi Uchiha _\- all she could say was "Tashi" confessed to her in not complex words that he was a man on the run. Said whatever he did had been necessary, but how the hell could it be _cold-blooded MURDER? _And as for her, how the hell could she have fallen in love with such a man?! Despite swearing to keep his secret, she couldn't even think about how to justify protecting him from the law.

She lost control of her emotions as well as the wheel, gravel flying before her vision, and the familiar maple and pine trees across the landscapes were dark blurs to her eyes. The questions rang in her mind: _who should I go to with the truth? Grandma? Mom and Dad? Back to Temari and that loathsome Chief Inspector Shimura?_

_Or worse: Tashi himself?_

God help her and her loved ones.

She had been so lost in the panicked haze that she saw, too late, the large farm wagon drawn by horses, which screeched and swerved safely off to one side while she regained temporary control at the last minute only to find herself lurching the jeep and herself off the road and into a shallow pit.

Red flashed before her eyes until all turned black.

~o~

Last couple days, Itachi was repairing the roof on the hay shed. New timbers replaced old ones for better strength, new nails to keep everything together, and he would dare any future winds to tear it down again.

Just how good did it feel to do work that meant a lot, even if it were only a shed? He swallowed down icy water from the pump, smiling. Tsunade would be happy to see the results as well as the new crop of hay that would soon come. He looked up at the sky and guessed it was now the middle of the afternoon. His plan now was to go back out to where he found that oil seepage, if Tsunade didn't need him for anything else at the moment.

_Do I still tell her about what I discovered? Oh, well, when I take a look at it again, I'll see if there was anything I missed before I decide..._

She was indeed very pleased, then told him to take a break since he'd been at work too hard, even suggested a ride of his own - which gave him the opportunity - but also promised a brand new batch of her famous mugwort dumplings. His mouth watered at the thoughts of those sweets. "In that case, I won't waste my time." And so Itachi set about to find Son Gokū, all the while looking at the mismatched but stylized dishes, the few modern conveniences as well as the warm and inviting furniture which was still in splendid condition despite their age. Tsunade Senju was a spitfire just like her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, though now she was much kinder if still defensive, and remained one of the most honest and hard-working women ever. If you asked him, she deserved more for her years of efforts, such as someone to take care of her needs, like a servant or maid. It could also mean visiting her son and his family on foot more often. That oil on her property opened many possibilities.

On the other hand, there came more troubling matters: noisy drillings, a frenzied pack of working crews as well as money-hungry opportunists who were looking for competition and attempting to buy her off. She would NEVER want any of that.

But the least he could do was give her the name of a firm he had known in his past life, make that her contact - but only after he told her about the oil and was gone.

It had to be as soon as possible, because of the need to break away from _Hanaru._ He was unable to forget her anger and offering of her trust, her vulnerable heart even, and he broke that. The longer he was here, the more likely it would happen again. She was the kind of girl who needed someone grounded and respectable, not someone like him who was condemned to spend the rest of his life looking around and over his shoulder.

With her on his mind, there were her mares acting frisky and chasing after Son Gokū who barely gave them the second look, not even when their tails swished like schoolgirls at a dance. _It's a shame we can't rush Mother Nature. And the full moon is coming soon..._

Now he was back at the bog, which was a much easier ride since there was no one to save today - and it was still a much simpler ride from Tsunade's house. However, being in open country was nerve-wracking because of the following reasons: should he come across someone who could recognize him, and that was why he would have the stallion close to hand and his pistol strapped to himself. Someone, if not law enforcement, could end up dead by his own hand, and an innocent at that; murdering someone's husband, son, brother or father was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was his freedom or death. Either yourself or the other person with no third option.

But being here, the grass whispering at his heels and the stallions', brought the painful memory of holding onto Hanaru, kissing her and listening to her attempt of a love confession. He harshly and cruelly responded back, and in turn, got her cold anger and a telling to get out of her sight if that was what he wanted.

He should have just swept her off her feet and give her what she deserved. If he could die, he would die being attached to her ripe body.

Also being here gave off an uncomfortable, uninviting aura, and not just in the black birds that rose and cried into every direction. Kurama's grave was just as he left it, with no sign of his owner's boot prints, and somehow, Itachi decided it was for the best. This had a hint of unseen evil, and if he ever saw her again, he would warn her about coming here.

The high water areas from the storm were subsiding, leaving drying mud, and flies were buzzing about it. The oil itself was just as he remembered it, and that blackness was too enticing to ignore. Itachi knelt before it, holding out a handkerchief with the intent of showing Tsunade the proof; he slipped it into his pocket after gently folding it in fourths.

But as he straightened, his instincts on being watched perked on high alert. Looking around, he saw no one around except Son Gokū who nickered and bowed his head, but was disgusted with the grass at his feet. But either way, it was time to go back to the ranch.

Itachi's plan was to tell the old woman about the oil and show the kerchief over supper, but in the cover of darkness, it was gathering what he had and leaving. It would leave Tsunade devastated but slightly irritable, and of course Hanaru livid and murderous. But nothing could be helped.

Upon returning atop Son Gokū, he was greeted with a harried and ashen Tsunade rushing off the porch. New instincts replaced the one for following, and he had to know what happened. "Oh, thank the gods you're here, Tashi!" Her work-worn fingers nervously twisted the crowned sunstone ring around her finger. "My daughter-in-law just called; Hanaru was in an auto accident, and the ambulance is bringing her home."

The shock hit him with the force of a tidal wave, as did the denial that was fighting against it. _No, not Hanaru...anyone but her! _"What happened? How badly?!" he had to ask.

"She's unconscious and not in danger, but other than that, I don't know. I would drive the truck, but with the way I am now -" She took several harsh breaths and struggled to not break down. "- I could get myself in an accident of my own. So, Tashi, I want you to hitch me a ride, but let me first get my medicines."

He should have said no, but he found himself agreeing. Except he feared getting them BOTH into a wreck with his own emotions. And even more, it was risky to even go there with Tsunade. But he was behind the wheel of her truck now, and she joined him with what looked like an oversized black doctor's bag. She held onto it in silence and pursed her lips together, but there was no need for words. After all, what _do_ you say in circumstances like these?

Not long after avoiding potholes and bumps in the road, they arrived at the Uzumaki Ranch. It was then that Itachi realized he wouldn't be able to see Hanaru at all, since he was only the hired man. Which meant he had to just remain outside in this truck like a dog or a horse and let fear chew him in and out as he waited...

It was logical, though, and for the best. The less he was seen, the better. _Should have stayed home and let Tsunade drive, after all, but she wouldn't have made it in her state. _Not only that, but the thought of Hanaru - beautiful and passionate - being unconscious and broken was more than he could bear. If he couldn't be WITH her, then this was as close as possible.

There was the ambulance with the red lights, and he glimpsed the slight form on the stretcher supported by the two men: a flash of red-gold curls and a flannel blanket before it disappeared into the house.

It took all of Itachi's efforts to not break out of the truck's driver seat to bolt in after them just to hold her hand. He hadn't felt this hopeless since standing by all those years while his mother took the abuse.

"Oh, there's the doctor," Tsunade pointed out, and she referred to a young woman with short, dark hair who pulled up in a dusty wagon model. "Drop me off here, and you can park somewhere before you join me, Tashi." Her brows creased with worry while the color had all but drained from her face. "I might be here for a while, so you should take the truck back and I can ask someone else to drop me off."

"No, I'll gladly stay here until I know Hanaru is well. Will you return to give the updates?" he asked. She nodded in a single jerk, and he could have sworn he spotted the tears in her amber eyes before she hurried away and joined the younger woman she said was the town doctor, and they went up the porch stairs into the house.

Now Itachi was in a shady spot on the west side of the barn, his hat's brim low enough over his face. He was in for long, hellish hours of waiting, but if it was worth it for Hanaru, that was it. He wasn't going until he knew she was all right. He had known her for a week, but now he couldn't imagine a world without her. Not without the fearless beauty so full of life, a breath of fresh air and blinding sunlight, and pure as clean water. But there was nothing he could do now.

He had his time to study the Uzumaki home, that two-story masterpiece which was nothing compared to the marble-pillared majesty that Fugaku Uchiha owned. That place was a three-story temple with said pillars overlooking a clear moat of river rocks and nearly every species of koi fish there was. The garden itself was grand and stretched acres upon acres to the back. The pristine wall that surrounded the property opened with a traditional sacred arch. It was even complete with a meditation and spa service, which was overindulgence at its finest.

The Uzumaki residence was, in fact, nothing in comparison to the Uchiha, but in these parts, it was grand enough. He thought that perhaps he could have settled down in a place like this, with only two levels, a garden of rosebushes and lilies, personal peach and cherry blossom trees, the fruit and vegetable patches, and of course the barn. From what he gathered of this family, Itachi knew there was love and respect, and there had been precious little of that in the eight-room prison where Fugaku kept his wife and two sons.

_I still hope Mom and Sasuke are doing all right. Maybe in a year or two, I can write or call them. But right now, the police are checking the mail and monitoring the phone lines. Too much risks._

He let his gaze follow up to a window crawling with honeysuckle vines. Was that Hanaru's room, based on the movement and those sweet feminine-looking curtains? Were they moving her to the bed so that the doctor could check her injuries? He leaned back and groaned; damn this waiting!

Some minutes later which felt like _hours_, the two men departed from the house with the now empty stretcher, but that said nothing about a hint of Hanaru. And where the hell was Tsunade? He thought that he couldn't wait on her himself, but there were also the two ranch hands out there, and there was a chance they would get curious and want to speak to him, so he was still stuck here.

All he could think about was Hanaru as he knew her: the day she raced her stallion carrying her terrified brother across the fields, her sunlit curls in the wind. Taking his revolver in hand to give her horse a mercy kill, then being in HIS arms, desperate for his comforting kisses and driving him to the brink of losing control.

More minutes felt like the night was falling so fast. The sun itself started to really creep towards the horizon, and that was when Itachi saw the rider thundering up the driveway and reining the stallion to a halt. He was tall and lean, in dusty trailing clothes, and he let his horse be taken by the farm hands. His hair was golden sunlight with streaks of silver-white, vibrant blue eyes and hawkish features. No doubting the resemblance to Naruto.

_She said her father was in the mountains. Someone must have leaked the word to him about what happened to his daughter. _

So, this man was Minato, Tsunade's son and Hanaru's father, head of the Uzumaki family and owner of the ranch.

It was then and there that Itachi saw the old woman herself coming out and throwing her arms around him when he was atop the porch steps. Her words made Itachi's heart aflame on the positive side.

"Oh, thank goodness, Minato! Hanaru's going to be all right; she's awake and talking!"

~o~

Hanaru had opened her eyes and found herself meeting the familiar pair of blue eyes which belonged to her father - the man who disciplined her gently, nurtured her and protected her, taught her and loved her for the past twenty years. "Hello, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"...okay, Daddy." And then the memory of the accident brought forth her emotions in a rush, making her worry about the only car they had. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry about the jeep. Is it ruined?"

He laughed softly and reached to pat the top of her head himself. "Nah, don't worry about it. I hadn't seen it, but it can always be fixed or replaced like any machine. What's important is that you're safe." He looked over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps. His wife was bustling in with the tea service, and it happened to be her special chamomile; the doctor said she needed some fluids down her, and she needed help to sit for this.

"You got a nasty bump on your head, likely a concussion, which means we can't let you go back to sleep for a while," Kushina said as she set that tray on the nightstand. "You gave us a hell of a scare!"

Hanaru felt terrible about the jeep. She nodded and said the same words, adding that she was going too fast and didn't see the other vehicle coming, when really, she had been too upset about "Tashi" to pay attention to her driving. _And what will Grandma do if she knew her hired man was a _murderer_? My parents, which might be worse?_

She took a small sip of the honey-flavored liquid, asking if her grandmother knew. "She came as soon as she heard. I believe that hired man of hers drove her here," Kushina answered. "I'd wanted to thank him myself for saving your brother, that little idiot, but they were gone before I had the chance." Her face fell and her shoulders slumped.

_So...Tashi didn't leave after all. _It made her pulse throb; maybe she could have her chance to speak to him, learn the truth about what he allegedly did, because she couldn't believe he would commit something atrocious as "cold-blooded murder". "Your grandma will be back tomorrow to see you again." Kushina shook her head as she helped adjust the pillow behind her daughter's head. "You should have seen her; she looked so worn out, I suppose from worrying about you. I swear, she should just listen to us and move in. Not listening to your own son and daughter-in-law is like talking to a brick wall!" She shook her head, red hair in a ponytail swishing side to side.

"Yeah, my mom is still a stubborn woman," Minato agreed before becoming firm. "But what's this about a _man _saving Naruto?"

Kushina took him off to the window and away from Hanaru, now immersed in the conversation. No doubt Minato would be more upset about Kurama than the jeep. Animal misuse always made him furious, and while he was lenient most of the time with his own son, when it came to something like this, Naruto would be in for just as much as he got from Kushina, which was a tongue-lashing followed by loving forgiveness.

Hanaru leaned back, teacup in hand, thankful the attention wasn't on her for the time being. There was just so much fussing, and she was conscious about the lump in the back of her head, but thank God it didn't crack her skull. If she had anything to say about it, she'd be as good as new tomorrow - and that meant confronting the man who called himself Tashi. She was more conflicted than ever. She promised him she wouldn't turn him in, but that was before she found out what he did; how could she justify protecting a cold-blooded killer?

_The sharp lines of his face, the ones beneath his eyes - those fathomless depths of dark fire that invited my trust - the firm, sensuous lips that fit so perfectly against mine; his tender regard for Grandma and him spending those long hours digging a grave near the bog for Kurama..._

Now that she thought of it, the last thing she considered of him was anything but cold-blooded. And he had told her that his crime was necessary, so how could she criticize him without hearing his side of the story?

It was also going to be VERY hazardous if she confronted him, if he really was the killer those posters marked him as. No telling what would happen, but it was a gamble she had to take. She wasn't going to rest until she got the truth.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a commotion downstairs, and that included the angry words of Dr. Shizune Kato - whom she vaguely remembered flashing the light before her eyes - as well as the suave voice she had heard only earlier, and froze. She couldn't make out every word, but they were definitely arguing; it ceased and was followed by heavy footsteps which made her stomach sink. The sound reached her parents' ears, and her father marched over to the closed door upon the tap to open it, and the visitor happened to be none other than Chief Inspector Danzo Shimura.

The flowers in his hand made Hanaru feel like throwing up the tea her mother made. _Yellow roses, miniature hot pink peonies, green mums, and purple alstroemerias - you really thought you could try to cheer me up...and what, give a hidden message of _jealousy _in one of the flowers?!_

Minato started to ask if this was about the jeep, before he fell silent upon seeing the flowers and simply stared. "I took the liberty of having your jeep delivered to the garage, Mr. Uzumaki," Shimura answered. "Everything in the back shall be delivered before nightfall, no damages done. But mainly, I came to make sure your daughter was well."

Hanaru did her best to not look at him, instead choosing to glance at her mother who had her hands on her hips and was far from pleased to see the man. Minato also stood like a wall between the chief inspector and where his daughter was. "As you can see for yourself, Danzo, she is well but needs to rest in order to recover. Doctor's orders before you forced your way into this house. She won't be receiving visitors anytime soon, but thank you for coming."

"...indeed. Well, then, accept these and I won't bother until next time." He thrust the flowers into Minato's hands, unfazed by the overprotective man. "I was concerned after my secretary informed me of her possible worry about the man she had seen on the road. When she's well, tell her I would like to talk to her again."

"...what man?" Minato's response would have made another man shrink back a step, but not Danzo Shimura. Hanaru suppressed her flinch, even fought not to while her mother turned her suspicious attention down onto her. _Why the hell couldn't Shimura stay away?_

"Your daughter can tell you. Now if you would excuse me." With that, the man was gone, boots thudding loudly, and that was a complaint Kushina would end up raging about: dirty shoes on in someone else's house.

"Do you want these, honey?" Minato asked, turning his attention back, face unchanged. Hanaru shook her head.

"No, Daddy. Take them away. And there was no man on the road; it was only something I said to get rid of him. I want nothing to do with that man." Minato nodded then, muttering something along the lines of "thank goodness", before dropping the offending blossoms into the wastebasket and taking the bag out himself. Kushina shook her head and followed him out, not before telling Hanaru to finish her tea.

Hanaru gulped the last of it down. What the hell had she set into motion today - and what danger did it pose for Tashi? Shimura both was relentless as a hawk and possessed the cunning of a weasel. He had somehow gotten Temari, her friend, to talk as soon as she was gone. Should he have his suspicions up, then Tashi could be in real trouble. The thought of him being brought in by Danzo Shimura to be tried and stuck with a needle - or placed in the electric chair - was more than she could stand.

_I have to warn him, even if it means that he leaves and I never see him again._

~o~

So, he told Tsunade about the oil on the way home from the Uzumaki Ranch. Bad timing, but she had assured him she could take any kind of conversation now that she knew her granddaughter was going to live. He even showed her the kerchief with the stains as evidence, but while she believed him, she wanted to see the oil herself in the ground.

"You really did a great honor finding it, Tashi," she told him with a smile before it was serious. "But if anyone - even you - think I will let a herd of strangers with noisy machines run around my lands to dig up that treasure, you're going to rethink that. Oil is just like gold, just like any new jewel mined in the world; it causes insanity in every form. When word leaks out, Konoha - a peaceful little town where nothing drives people apart - will never be what it is now." His words exactly.

He brought them both back up to the house in no time. By now, the setting sun left streaks of purple shadows across the fields, the grasses tinted with fiery amber. Taking this all in, he absolutely agreed with Tsunade; these beautiful lands and the people living in them didn't deserve to be manipulated and forced to change their way of life all because of oil making things ugly.

This time of day meant it was too late to take her out to inspect herself. After all, the oil wasn't going anywhere. Tsunade was going back to see Hanaru again in the morning; when they got back, she was going to the site with his help.

That night, Itachi was too restless to close his eyes and drift off. He found himself drifting towards the paddock, where the stallion and two mares were drifting about, the wind making their manes and tails whisper. One more night would be the resolve; he had stayed here long enough. Whether nature took its course or not, he and Son Gokū would take off.

Long enough did he stay here to be in danger...and long enough to fall in love.

Now, the next day, it was mid-afternoon. Tsunade was well enough to drive herself back to the Uzumaki residence. Therefore, Itachi busied himself with nailing down loose boards in the pasture gates. Except even it did nothing to his thoughts; despite his best efforts to build a wall to keep Hanaru out of his brain, she haunted him and continued to shine bright like a rainbow. It didn't matter if he would ever see her again. Because her future was safe and well, for she would have a happier life than he ever would. All he would have of her would be on lonely nights: her vibrant hair, her pristine eyes and ripe mouth, even her brilliance and fierce gentleness.

Itachi Uchiha - the man he was before he ran away from his father's bleeding body - would have had something to offer a girl like Hanaru. He would have properly courted her and had gone to Minato Uzumaki so he could ask for her hand in marriage, with ample means to provide for her and their children. _But that man I was no longer exists. This is me now: raw and running like a hunted animal, counting my survival by minutes, hours and days. _

He could only count on Hanaru marrying a good man and then in many more years become as strong and wise as her grandmother. He just wanted the best for her.

Tsunade was back in no time when the afternoon deepened. He helped her out of her truck, asking how Hanaru was faring. "Much better. She wanted to ride over to see how her mares were, but her folks wouldn't hear of her leaving the house. Oh, and this." She then reached behind her to take out a dish covered with aluminum foil. "My daughter-in-law made this to thank you for rescuing Naruto." She pulled the material back to reveal _chinsukō_, a traditional sweet biscuit dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries. It was very similar to shortbread.

Itachi was tempted to refuse such a generous treat, but found himself unable to refuse. "It was kind of her. You and I can share them."

"My son wanted to say thank you, too. In fact, he says if you're looking for good and steady work, you can come over and talk to him." They were walking towards the porch.

"I appreciate his generous offer, too," Itachi said, chest tightening, "but I'm planning on leaving tomorrow. I wanted to tell you now that you returned."

Tsunade halted in her steps, being one ahead of him on the porch staircase, and turned back to look down at him with a slightly dismayed expression. "Why not stay? Minato is more than fair with his hired hands, and I know for a fact that you could use the money, too."

He nodded. "I know, and I'm very sorry. It's just time for me to move on. Tsunade, you've been a cherished friend in such a short amount of time -" He sincerely meant that. "- but I'm hoping you won't ask my reasons."

She snorted. "Oh, I never cared to ask before, and I won't plan to now. You'll be missed, and not just by me. Hanaru and Naruto both asked about you," she said, and they were both at the door now.

"Then you won't mind saying goodbye for me. Tell Hanaru that I'm sorry about the mares. I truly waited as long as I could." _This has all been against my better judgment. I've become far too attached to these...wonderful people. This is a price I'm paying. _

Change of subject: she wanted to go on the ride, but first, the sweet biscuits made by Kushina Uzumaki had to be set down in the kitchen, and he was to saddle up a slow horse for her. Because of her bones not being what they used to be, they had to take a slow walk with the horse of his choosing. He decided to get both of her geldings, since it wasn't worth hitching the stallion for such an easy ride.

Itachi noticed her grimace of some pain when he helped her onto the saddle; she was doing this so she could see his finding, and then show Minato herself on her own choosing. "The bog isn't on your land, is it?" he asked when they were crossing the field of wild lilies. She shook her head, white-gold hair swishing with the motion.

"No. The property is maybe forty yards, the boundary being ten yards short of the bog itself, and beyond that is government land. That an issue, Tashi?"

"Depends," he answered readily. "Judging from the layout, I would predict most of the oil runs under your grounds to the ranch. Then you decide to drill or not, but then you would have no say in governmental land. That would mean someone else would take charge of the drilling rights and leave you with all the things you don't want." Tsunade hummed.

"Unless we lease it first. I'm going to talk this over with Minato. How did you come across knowing so much about these things?"

He shrugged with one shoulder. "I've worked on a couple rigs in the past," he half-lied. _And if I wasn't pretending to be someone else, I could have done all of this for them, even negotiate the lease of federal lands. She deserves repayment for her kindness. _But he was a wanted fugitive, which meant he had only one choice: run and keep running.

Now she was tired of sitting, with her thighs being in some pain, so she wanted to walk. When she dismounted with his help, she tottered a bit before accepting the hand he offered out to help her. She muttered that this was really getting old, chuckling then. But she sobered up when they arrived at the bog, and her attention fell directly on the rounded earth in the yellowed ground. "Oh, this is where you buried Hanaru's poor stallion. My God, and only a day off of your sick bed." Tsunade scoffed and shook her head. "That Naruto - I hope he really learned his lesson; he just HAD to learn it the hard way, after all his sister said to him!" Then her face softened when she glanced his way. "She said you offered to shoot the poor beast for her. It must have broken her heart."

"Yes...but she took it upon herself," Itachi answered. "I understand she had such high hopes for Kurama. I remember when we met and I teased her that we could pit our stallions against each other just for the fun of it."

Tsunade guffawed, loving every detail that it made him happy - but then it was gone when she noticed something was wrong, and how right she was. Itachi found himself glancing at the footprints that were imprinted in the soil. Not only were his round-toed riding prints still there from his earlier visit at Kurama's grave, but others were present: these were pointy-toed, and far too large to be Hanaru's...

...and they followed his own, straight to where there was oil seeping into the bog.

~o~

Hanaru was unable to sleep that night, and the hour was now eleven, which was usually when she'd be asleep by now. But her nerves were on too much fire to even relax as she recalled the after-dinner conversation with the whole family. The old house's minor noises broke the still silence along with the words of her grandmother to the rest of them, as she'd come in her pickup.

_"Tashi, my hired man, has found oil seeping into the bog not too far from my property. He brought me there to see it myself, and my stars! He believes there could be more under the ranch itself. And if we need to exploit what potential richness we have, he's gonna give us a reputable contact he knows from Tokyo."_

And while Minato, her son, could have asked this himself, his wife was more explosive that some would mistake her to be Tsunade's blood child instead. _"Who the hell does this Tashi think he is? I mean, I am grateful he saved our son, but what is he getting out of this, and why isn't he here in person?!"_

_"Oh, nothing, now calm down,"_ Tsunade had snapped. _"He just seems to know a lot about oil, and doesn't want any part of it. As a matter of fact, he is leaving first thing tomorrow morning."_

Learning about that made Hanaru suppress her gasp, but she held it in until this conversation was over, and Grandma had more to say: _"Also, whatever we decide to do about this oil, we have to do it as soon as possible. Because Tashi and I saw tracks out by the bog and Kurama's resting place. Someone else was there, which means they possibly know about the oil."_ Her lips were in a tight, angry line. _"They looked like long, skinny boots so narrow they could poke through you like a damned needle."_

And there was only one man they knew of who owned a pair like that, and Minato answered it tautly: _"Danzo Shimura. The sly hawk showed up yesterday with flowers for Hanaru. Perhaps he thought the easy way was to marry into the family for the oil."_ Except, part of Hanaru wanted to disagree, although you never knew.

Hanaru had lost tune of the rest of the conversation, but recalled that tomorrow, Minato would go to the land management bureau - for now, they would leave the oil in the ground as it was - and arrange the lease to keep anyone, including Shimura, from drilling without consent.

_Danzo Shimura is a dangerous man. I've known all along, and the oil discovery has just raised the stakes. It means he's capable of destroying anyone who gets in his way. _

The moonlight peering through her window made her bolt upright. Briefly, she thought about her mares, thinking the moon's magic could work on them. If so, that meant this night could be their last chance with Son Gokū.

Hanaru swung her legs out of the bed and rushed to the closet for something to wear. She found a wispy blue willow of a dress, made of light cotton which resembled denim and was ruffled at the skirt; it left her arms bared, so she found her white blouse and her boots. Mom and Dad would be pissed if they knew what she was up to, but she had to warn Tashi about Shimura.

_And that means the truth about the murder of Fugaku Uchiha - maybe they're related or something._

Getting a horse, like Shukaku, could easily rouse her folks' ears, so she had no choice but to walk to her grandmother's house, and that would take twenty-ish minutes. Hanaru could only pray Tashi was still there when she arrived.

**Yellow roses in Japan mean jealousy. **

**I chose to have Minato bear Uzumaki as his last name in this version, like past stories of mine and what others also did, so therefore Minato Namikaze was his name before he was adopted (if not directly mentioned), and that means it is Jiraiya's surname. :) Since we also don't know his. **

**Chinsukō is a traditional sweet made in Okinawa****,**** Japan since the Ryukyu Dynasty, and often sold as a souvenir (Miyagegashi). It is a small biscuit made of mostly ****of ****lard and flour, with a mild and sweet flavor ****like ****shortbread.**

**Well, review, review, REVIEW with lots o detail! :D It's getting HOT! (and not the kind of hot you're thinking ;D)**


	9. The Scapegoat

Chapter Nine

The Scapegoat

He was back at the paddock, under the pristine moonlight and admiring the stallion and mares who pranced and danced as they nipped and swung their great bodies, tails and manes flying out. The moon tonight was a pale peach color against velvety black. The wind was light, though strong enough to carry the scent of the flowers. Itachi let a smile pull at his face.

He witnessed the breeding process many times in the Uchiha stables, though it had been much harder for Sasuke as he had been coming into his sexuality, while Itachi had first felt the same. Their father's strict reaction was the same on both sons, making them see that this was how things worked. The stud could be disabled by the simple kick of a mare's hooves, so every precaution necessary was taken. First things first, a lesser stallion was brought in to excite the mare, and when that was finished, the mare was put away in a stall while the lesser stallion was taken away, and the prize stud was brought in to finish the job. The strongest handlers on all sides would be there to make sure nothing went awry; Itachi thought this a pitiful manner to do the deed - _making love _\- especially when it came to horses.

However, Son Gokū was on his own, knew exactly what he was doing. If things went well, he'd be leaving Hanaru with one hell of a parting gift.

He left the horses then, going up to the house and lowering himself on the front steps. The lights being out told him Tsunade must be fast asleep by now. He intended to do the same, for there was a long road ahead of him tomorrow, and his bedroll and gear were packed and ready to go, though he was too restless tonight.

_Is Hanaru asleep at this hour - or is she awake like me? Curls tumbling over the pillow, nightgown tangled over her bare legs...dreaming about how it would feel if we made love? Each other's nakedness, me buried into her hot, wet sweetness?_

Hell, these thoughts really drove a man insane!

Another walk towards the barn; the night was alive with the chirping of crickets, hawk's wings as the bird searched for its prey, the rippling wind and the sounds of horses mating. But that was not all there was to it...

_Footsteps!_

Itachi stepped into the shadows and cursed to himself for not strapping on his gun; he found out who they belonged to in no time: _damn it, HANARU! Why the hell would you be here at this time of night?!_

She stepped into the moonlight, hair fluttering in the breeze, and the knot constricted in Itachi's throat as he stepped subconsciously into the view. And when she saw him, she wasted no time running his way.

Itachi caught her and held her in his arms, melting away as he knew she was; she held him tight against her as if her arms could bind him to her forever. "I was...afraid I'd never see you again," she uttered, breath against the wind. He moved his throat against her hair.

"You won't see me again after tonight. I leave in the morning. But come and look; you might get your foals after all." He took her hand and led her back over to the paddock, where the stamping hooves as well as the snorts and nickers were heard. The moonlight flashed over every outline of their bodies and in their eyes. She gasped and latched back onto him.

"Oh, God, I can't believe it is happening! Tashi, thank you so much for staying for this!" She embraced him in her enthusiasm, which made him chuckle and place his hand on the small of her back.

"What do you say we give the ladies and gentleman privacy?" Itachi asked smoothly. He turned her away, leading her along the path of the orchard. _There is so much magic on this night that even we can't stay apart, either._

However, he sensed her discomfort when she tensed under his touch. She came here not only to see him of her own will, but because she wanted to know something - and he suspected what it was. "Hanaru, what's the matter?" For a second, her bottom lip was bitten as she was conflicted with whether or not she should tell him. Eventually, it was out.

"Before the accident, I was in town. I fought the urge, but something made me stop by the assistant commissioner's office; there were some new posters on his desk, and one of them...had your photograph. And your real name - Itachi Uchiha. And that you killed a man."

He dropped his hand and stepped away from her. The tension that had last been between them returned just like that. He turned his face away from her, forcing the question out of his lips, even though he knew the answer.

"Are you afraid of me now that you know?"

~o~

He just had to ask her that question, and the response left her without a moment's hesitation. "Would I have come if I were?" Hanaru replied. "I knew you'd never harm me, but I have to know now, since it's the last chance. Who was Fugaku Uchiha? I only guessed you were related."

They were standing under a plum blossom tree that wasn't in bloom, and it was one of the oldest in her grandmother's orchard. The green leaves glinted silver on the edges in the moonlight, but the breeze seemed to hold its breath as he hesitated, seconds ticking by. "He was my father," he said at last. "My mother, his wife, was Mikoto, and my younger and only brother is Sasuke. Fugaku was one of the richest men in Tokyo: big house, powerful friends, and the finest stable of racehorses in the city - except he cared more about them than his wife and both of his sons." _Including his eldest, his heir._

To learn that Tashi - _Itachi _\- had been the next in line to this hell of a business was staggering. But look at him now, and while she had an idea now, she needed to hear it. "You said what you did was necessary, but was there more than just -?"

"Yes," he interrupted firmly. "You didn't know what kind of man my father had been - in fact, very few did, and those few were too cowardly to stand up to him." He stared past her and towards the hills as if seeing something far away. "He and my mother were married for two and a half decades at least; he cheated on her from the very beginning, even after I was born, and before long, he was punching her, shoving her, choking her...damn near killing her, especially when she told him she was pregnant a second time, with my brother." Now his hands clenched into fists.

"Mom was - and still is - a beautiful woman, very unusually kind, and you cannot imagine how she looked after all those markings she took. I tolerated seeing her suffer all my life, while Sasuke never witnessed a damn thing until that final night. As his brother, I shielded him as best I could, but even that didn't stop Fugaku from belittling him with words. I could have thrashed him myself when I wanted to, but he would take it out on Mom as usual. One time, I did threaten to expose him for what he really was, but he sneered and reminded me that he would disown me if I did it; he also had a hand in glove with every judge in the country. And besides, as he put it, didn't a man have the right to discipline his wife and sons?"

Hatred boiled in her blood. "Couldn't she have left him and took you both?" That was a hell of a stupid question, but he didn't scold her for it.

"I wish, but he would have taken Sasuke and I. It was one thing Mom wouldn't stand for." He fell silent then, making her believe he was reliving everything over again in his head, and she gladly waited for him to continue.

"Three months ago was when it all came to a boil over. I had taken Sasuke out that night, just me and him, to celebrate his getting into college early, but when we returned home, I heard the commotion upstairs and told him to go to his room; of course, he refused and I had to strike him in the face to make him listen. That was the first time I laid a hand on him. That was the night where he would learn everything for the first and last time. Meanwhile, upstairs, our mother was in danger. It would have been one of the two times Fugaku -" He refused to call the man father now, rightfully so. "- got really drunk and tried to rape his own wife...one time, he really went through with it, and that time it happened was what conceived Sasuke; this time, she wouldn't stand for it and struck him in the face, which set off the explosion. She locked herself in their room after he gave her a new black eye as well as a bleeding cheek; he pounded on the door and threatened to kill her, but I came in time just as he broke in..."

"...you shot him." Hanaru finished the story which had all but drained him. Now she understood him, when she looked upon him trembling if not from the wind. She wrapped her arms so tightly around him that she could feel his throbbing heartbeat. "Oh, God, the man was such a monster. You took care of him in the only way - but why did you have to run? You were his son, and there's no way they could have convicted you for protecting your mother, your brother and yourself," she said heatedly.

He inhaled and sharply let it out. "No, I could not take that chance. The Uchiha are a ruthless family, and my mother wasn't one of them by blood. This is also Fugaku's side of the family; the courts are even afraid to cross them." His arms wrapped around her.

Hanaru had to fight back tears of injustice. She took in the features of this man: the stubbled jaw, the lines beneath his eyes which made him older than he was. _You're anything but a cold-blooded killer. _

_Itachi Uchiha _was the most honorable man she'd met, put his life on the line to protect his loved ones, but more than that: she loved him more than anything in the world...and was about to lose him.

Hanaru stood up on tiptoe and took the back of his neck with one hand, pulling him down and bringing his face close enough to hers. For the barest moment, he resisted - but then that mouth crushed against hers in a flame that exploded like fire caused by gunpowder. She melted against him with this kiss. Her lips acted on instinct and opened to let his tongue invade hers, which also did the same and made him gasp. Her hips came to flatten against his in order to reignite those lovely sensations he awoke in her that very first time...

"Hanaru, don't..." He was still fighting but apparently losing the battle. But she clasped onto him, not willing to let him go.

"Tashi, let me go with you. I'll stand by your side through this if you let me. I don't care if we sleep on the ground and run from the law -"

Immediately, he pushed her away, but not enough to bruise or shove her to the ground. "Don't be foolish!" Itachi growled, his real name on her mind foreign and needing to get used to. "This is no kind of life for any woman - especially you. All you will do is make it more likely for me to get caught. Just let me go and get on with your life, Hanaru. It's the only choice we have." He was making her angry again, but she pushed it down without being hurt this time.

"Just pretend nothing happened," she said icily. "You don't really love me."

"That's not true! But what difference would it make? I need to go, and I need you to forget about me."

This time, she had it in her to slap him, but it wasn't hard enough to leave a red mark. "You make it sound so simple!" She should just do what he said and salvage what little pride she had left; he was trying to do the right thing, but it was still stinging. But in the rush of her eagerness to see him, she nearly forgot the most important reason she had come to see him. "Even if you were to leave now, you can't go by the roads. I said I saw your photograph, and that means one other person must have seen it, too. I came here to warn you of that."

His eyes narrowed. "Tell me everything," he said, irises flashing.

So she told him: Chief Inspector Danzo Shimura having the wanted posters himself - which meant he must have seen them before she arrived - and then got word of her accident from her best friend who was the secretary. "Grandma's description of the boot prints you both found at the bog match Shimura's description. If he's been nosing around here, then the chances are that he must have seen you - at least, from a distance," she finished in a harsh breath, pulling her blouse around her.

Tashi scowled, deepening the moon shadows that masked his eyes. "If so, then why didn't he just ride my way to arrest me?"

Might as well sound like a novel she used to read as a kid, but it was also befitting of someone like Danzo Shimura. "Perhaps he can't confirm it yet if it's really you. Because you definitely changed enough since the picture was taken," Hanaru answered, her knees wobbling a little. "And because you're wanted alive or dead, he might wait to catch you with no witnesses. Then that way, he can shoot you himself and be labeled as the town's hero." He furrowed his brows in a deeper scowl, wondering what kind of lawman could do something like this. "A sneaking weasel like Shimura; he also got some rough friends. Might make sense that he'd have them put you in a body bag and split the reward money even."

"You must have read too many novels when you were young. That's what this kind of scheme makes out to be."

Now was her turn to scowl. This man - he really believed she must be doing this out of worry for him, or did he honestly think he wasn't in any real danger?! "Itachi Uchiha," she hissed, "you don't even know Danzo Shimura; he's as cunning as a fox and as dangerous as a two-headed snake. He wants the oil and sees me as the easiest way to get it. And that means destroying anyone who will get in his way!"

His sharp intake of breath reached her ears. "He's been after you - threatened you?" he demanded.

She bitterly laughed. "Hardly. Just brought me stupid, 'cheery' flowers after the accident. Daddy threw them away because I asked him to." This made him soften, but that wasn't the end of it.

"Indeed, but that still means he could get you alone. Goddamn, Hanaru, if the man is what you say he is, then you need to be careful now!" Tashi was now holding onto her, possessively now. "If the bastard tries anything, then I can't be here to save you. I'm worried for you."

"Well, so am I!" she returned. "By now, there's no telling who has seen that poster. If anyone recognizes you..." She had to stop there, refusing to finish what would happen. And by tightening her hold on him, her wish was to keep the world at bay. She closed her eyes and inhaled the leathery musk of his scent. Despite the night chill, his skin was so warm and comforting.

He cursed under his breath in their tongue. "If I could, I would give anything for things to be different, woman," he muttered. "But I've got to keep moving."

She forced herself to nod in agreement. He was right; she had to let him go, move on with her life, but how could she get through the days ahead, fearful of his safety, and longing for him at the same time? That meant there was one way to do this, and took one more step to being risky. "There's one thing I can do for you before you pick up. Since this is one of the first places the law will look for you, there's another place where they won't think to look. If that poster's really gotten around, there's chances the roads will be watched, and even if you cut across country, someone will look for you." And so she told him about the place she had in mind.

There was a cabin in the mountains, east of the bog. Jiraiya built it for fishing, and it was still intact and in the Uzumaki family. "We keep it locked, but I know where the key is. You can hide until it's safe to leave."

She expected him to hesitate. "Would you be able to draw a map, if it's that far?" She shook her head; he would never be able to find it alone, which meant she had to take him there herself...tonight. There was enough light to see the way, and with Son Gokū, it would take less than an hour. This made him shake his head and look up at the moonlight.

"I don't savor involving you. You're aiding a fugitive, which is what I tried to protect you from. I ought to just travel away now -"

"Word gets around fast. Unless Shimura wants you for himself, lawmen beneath him will be on the lookout for you in this part of the country. Will you still chance it?"

He sighed, turning his face from her again. The conflict was in his eyes, making her wonder if she did a reckless thing in letting him hide out in her family's old fishing cabin. _I can't even tell anymore if this is selfish desire of my own or real concern for his safety - or both. _"The trail to the cabin is overgrown and difficult to follow," Hanaru went on. "Plus, not much to eat there except some unopened sweet cans as well as rice and crackers. But there's also good water in the stream and fish to tackle. You might be good until I bring up supplies."

"No." He looked back at her, stubborn mask in place. "I refuse to bring you into this. Now that Son Gokū's business is done, we're saddling and riding out of here. I would rather take the chance of getting caught than to risk you coming to harm." He shook his head. "Damn it, Hanaru, if I loved you any less -"

He stopped himself then and there upon realizing what he'd just said. He set off striding towards the shed where his gear was. But she stared after him, stunned. He said...he _loved_ her. He said it loud and clear, but was it worth it if he was going to leave her forever? She wanted to refuse to believe it was over, just run after him and hold onto him, beg him to stay with her. _I love him, too, with my heart and soul, but this is reality. I have to let him go and be free. _

Son Gokū was spent of his energy, but now _Itachi _had him out, and she helped him with the saddling, choosing now to not ask him where he would go now, even though she wanted to, but then they both heard the noise together: _the clatter of hooves. Riders are here - about three or four. _

And at this hour, it could mean only one thing.

"...Shimura," Hanaru whispered hoarsely. "Him and his friends. We got to hurry! Before they get here!"

"No, I'm not going to leave you and your grandmother alone with them," he said, and he took her by the arm as he led the stallion into the deepest part of the orchard. And when they blended into the shadows, the chief inspector himself arrived along with three others behind him, and they trotted into the farmyard only to dismount near the corral. From the way they were laughing and talking, she'd say they were drunk - which made them all the more dangerous.

It also seemed that Chief Inspector Shimura was the only sober one. "Spread out and search the barn. I will speak to the old woman." And he was bounding up the porch steps in no time at all, rapping on the screen door and ringing the doorbell, all the while shouting for the owner.

Seconds later, the lights came on, and moments later, the main and screen doors opened to show Tsunade in her green flannel gown, hair in braids, and her shotgun barrel aimed. "Your business had better be important enough to disturb an old lady in the middle of the night, Chief Inspector," she growled. He did the same through his teeth.

"Tsunade, we're looking for that hired man of yours. Would he be here?"

"How should I know? I am not his keeper. I paid him today, so perhaps he went into town for some fun, or packed up and left. He did strike me as flighty as soon as I laid my eyes on him." _Go, Grandma._

Except it was like Shimura to refuse to even take a lady's word. "Hmm. We'll have to search the house to be sure. If only I could just take your word, but at this point, I cannot afford to. The man is wanted for murder."

There was a long moment of a pause, before Tsunade finally acquiesced. "Fine, but you only. The rest of your dumbasses can stay out here. You got only one minute to take a look and get off my property before I call the assistant commissioner. Rasa Sabaku won't be happy when he learns you and your drunken friends are harassing me!" she threatened.

Hanaru held onto Itachi's arm, watching as the lights flickered on and off in the house, while the sounds of things being thrown around in the barn startled the chickens in their coop. She had no idea how her grandmother could still be so spunky and brave more than she was right now. What seemed like hours had passed by, when it was actually two minutes at most, and Shimura exited with Tsunade behind him and her rifle still raised at him. "See?" she said snidely. "Told you he wasn't here. Now take yourself and your friends out of here before I get more nervous and start shooting whether you're with the law or not!"

Off they were, with Shimura shouting at the men to find the "murdering bastard" while they spread out to the gate, and to shoot and ask questions later. _Such is the case with trigger-happy posse!_ The group thundered their way down the drive, Tsunade glaring murderously after them before going back inside, locking the doors and shutting all the lights back off. Itachi whistled and chuckled.

"Your grandmother is one hell of a vixen, just like you. If I were forty years older, I'd waste no time proposing to her."

"You two might make a perfect couple if you were," Hanaru agreed, before it was sober again. "Does she know you're suspected?"

"Never told her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she figured out ahead of time. You can tell her after I am gone. The less she knows right now - and that we are here - the better." He snorted. "Looks like I'll take your offer up on that cabin, after all."

That also meant she had to go with him atop Son Gokū, since Shimura and his men were out there watching at this very moment. And as soon as things were safe for the moment, he would take her back home to Tsunade, and she could walk back from there. While he spoke to her, his eyes were ablaze with the protection of a wild cat. This had become a hell of a dangerous night, but she had never felt so protected.

Now they were saddled atop the stallion, her being right behind him and her knees spooning around his hips. Stealthily did they move through the green trees, moonlight and shadows dancing around them. Even in the silence, she could hear her own heart pounding heavily.

_Ever since what happened in Suna, I've done nothing but play it safe. I avoided anything unfamiliar and risky...but here I am, risking it all for the man I love. And anything can happen at night, but it's too late to go back. _

Which meant she had to prepare for the consequences of her actions.

Now they cleared the trees and found their way in the open, where a single shout and a single gunshot were both heard - had they been seen?! There was no time to glance back for the answer. Itachi had the idea himself and dug his heels into Son Gokū's sides, making the stallion erupt into the gallop of a lifetime, starting the chase to play it safe and send the thrills up the spine. Behind them was more firing as Shimura's men gave way to the chase. But Son Gokū outmatched them in speed, strength and beauty.

Hanaru thought she would be scared, but apparently not. She was very excited instead. Like she was on top of the world. And while she wasn't related to Kakashi and Iruka, she thought she had their sense of adventure. This blood which stirred deliciously in the face of danger...

Son Gokū shot forward through leveled fields, clearing fences and jumping over ditches. The wind roared now in her ears. She clutched onto Itachi's back for dear life, noticing his hair was coming out of the pins he used to keep it in place, just like the day he was sick. She held onto him, feeling like the two of them and the horse were one, like ancient stone.

The shouting and gunshots were no longer heard, except Itachi's proximity and the stallion's powerful body beneath them, running through the night as if they had the right to be together forever. _If only._

**My God, to get that revelation out and onward to this ending. :3 Though I can't say I enjoyed what Fugaku Uchiha did to his own wife AT ALL. (demon rage) **

**PLEASE REVIEW! Lots o detail. **


	10. In the Mood For Love

Chapter Ten

In the Mood For Love

When they were within the bog's sights, Itachi reined Son Gokū who was growing tired and dared to look back only to see that they were not being followed anymore. _For now._ The fields were illuminated illustriously by the moonlight, the grass tips glittering like diamonds. The reeds of the bog were pale as bones in the same light.

This place was just reeking of evil and bad memories.

Even if Shimura were to insist on pursuing them, there was no way in hell that a horse like his would catch up to Itachi's stallion. But that wouldn't keep the posse at a safe distance, either. It also meant a decent tracker could still pick up their scent. _Just pray the followers are really as drunk as they appear to be. That makes them incompetent enough._

He followed Hanaru's instructions and went around the bog, which was where the trail began. He should have just left her behind for safety; what the hell had he gotten her into? He should have taken his chances, but with Danzo Shimura and his cohorts about the countryside, taking her with him to the cabin was his only option now.

And just beyond those ragged ambrosia bushes was a half-grown trail which zig-zagged through the foothill. Higher, thickets of maple and clumps of pine carpeted the earth. When they were deeper in the shelter of trees, they'd be safe. Though the lower part of the trail was vulnerable for anyone below the hill. Hanaru's arms continued to hold onto him around the waist, her body warm against his. The subtle lily and lilac fragrance off her hair crept over his senses. She was completely innocent and passionate, all his - except he had no right to claim her as _his _Hanaru since he was on the verge of proving to be her downfall.

_She's risking everything tonight: the wrath of her parents, her reputation damaged, her freedom and her life, and I have no right to do this to her. I should just turn around and take her home, rely on Son Gokū__'s speed...but the real danger is behind us. _

_There is no telling what Shimura's men will do to her if they catch us together._

Son Gokū slowed to a walk now, mostly from the steep trail they were now on. Itachi managed to peek through the trees and see the valley below, and there was a patchwork of dark and light in the flowers and greenery. He had learned tonight that this mountain was a criss-cross network of trails like this, with some going to other cabins and others to fishing spots, and there was a couple of farms up here, too. That meant making a wrong turn would be all too easy. Hanaru had been coming up here all her life, so he couldn't have made it this far without her, but even in the dark, the uncertainty clouded everything - just like the clouds overhead began to veil the moon and shadows. There was no mistaking incoming rain, but no drops to be heard just yet.

Just as there was still no sign yet of their pursuers. Just the stallion's hooves and the rustle of leaves - and the faint heartbeat of the young woman embracing him from behind for dear life.

~o~

All the time, Itachi was silent as the night itself. And if not for the present circumstances, she would have asked what she wanted of him, and without Shimura and his men on their tail.

_Who the hell are you, Itachi Uchiha? I sometimes feel like I've known you forever, but then you put those walls back up again, whiplashing me - just like right now. I get you're protecting me, but I still don't like it. I want to learn more about you: where you're really from - though I believe Tokyo - your family and friends, what you really did for a living, and all those little things like your favorite music and foods. _

Aside from the shooting and what kind of man his father was, he never told her anything else. She had fallen in love with a stranger, a man as elusive and beguiling as a shadow. Like the shadows that vanished when those clouds moved over the eastern peaks, covering everything like black ink, and thunder followed softly. It meant another storm would be on their trail, and if that did happen, it would send Shimura and his followers scurrying for cover and home.

And the only slope could be treacherous in a murderous downpour.

The trail turned upwards towards a small canyon of woods, and Hanaru knew they were on the right path. If she was doing the math right, they would be about fifteen minutes away, but not too soon with the clouds blocking the moon and the sheet lightning flickering in the east. But at least the trail was more sheltered here, and the land leveled. Because of this and not taking chances on short-lived peace, Itachi nudged Son Gokū into walking faster.

Hanaru could take no more of the silence. "What was your old life like, before you left Tokyo?"

He didn't answer right away, which momentarily made her assume that he was hesitant or would just dance around because they weren't safe yet - or not answer at all because of that reason. But then he answered, maybe because he owed her this much for her helping him this far. "I suppose you deserve something from a man you're risking everything for. But you know my old life's gone for good, and what you see now is my life now." _Just like that again: the less I know, the better. _But she persisted.

"What did you do for a living? And please don't dance around or insult my intelligence. I know damned well you are well-educated, and well-mannered - when you choose to be," Hanaru said snidely. "And that doesn't come from nowhere."

He sighed, apparently knowing she was right and that he owed her. There was also the sound of rushing water somewhere, and here they were among perhaps white and purple wildflowers. "Very well. I served the army a few years, but I'm also trained as an engineer. I used to be a consultant for oil drilling, my job being to figure out where to sink the wells. If you would excuse my boasting, I was damned good at it." He chuckled.

Hanaru was very impressed. That explained how he knew about the oil when he first found it, and it also meant that he would have had everything in the world by the balls had his father's murder hadn't happened - but it also would mean that his father would retire and continue to give their lives hell. And the fact he served was a bonus. _So, it doesn't take a real genius to recognize oil when they see it in the ground, when it's tricky to know where it is when you can't even see it. When you make the wrong guess, then the company is out thousands of dollars. _Hearing the lightning overhead - or rather, seeing it flash - she held tighter onto his back, her breasts flushed against his back.

"From engineer consultant to hired farmhand - must have been tough as hell for you."

"At first, but honest work is far better than jail - or either the needle or electric chair - for as long as it lasts."

_For as long as it lasts..._ Those words just made her spine tingle and her flesh goose.

~o~

He was certain his words sent a quiver along her nerves as they did to his own. Itachi had tried so hard in the past three months to not think about what it would be like to be captured, imprisoned, then tried and executed. Depending on the severity of the trial and the hard evidence against him. He had never known it would come so close the way it had now, knowing his face was on a wanted poster if Hanaru had seen it.

If she recognized him and if Danzo Shimura could, it made reality crash hard down onto his being.

He, his mother and brother had never had the time to discuss what they would do if he was apprehended. He fled Tokyo with the sole idea of keeping up with moving, running indefinitely until he was safely away in another part of the country. Hardly was that much of a life, but surviving outweighed everything...until tonight, which was when the real possibility hit the place of home.

_If it does happen, with promising evidence, then the trial will be quick and solid. Mom and Sasuke will be called to testify, but I can't let it happen. I have to plead guilty to protect them both. It will all make me the cold-blooded murderer I'm labeled. If not death, then life imprisonment will be for me. _What was it going to be like to feel the electricity blow up his insides and make him bleed from the inside out, or to be unaware of the venom in his veins giving him a death that was quick and painless?

Itachi shoved the thoughts to the back of his brain, focusing on the present. He would not dwell on all of that while he and Hanaru were here, her supple body wrapped around him and rubbing against him in a way that made his groin twitch. She was so sweet, strong and unafraid. But he was NOT going to let her suffer for what he was doing; if he had anything to say about it, he would make it right for her again.

"So, the home you had in Tokyo was nice?" _A luxurious mansion which was more of a comfortable prison than a place filled with love and trust. _"A girlfriend?"

"Yes, it was a pleasant place, but it didn't feel anything like your family has. As for a sweetheart, I hate to say that there was no one in particular. I did date a couple times, but their intentions were obvious enough," Itachi answered. "I only knew my mother's love as well as my brother's, but not the way you describe it. In fact, those women had one thing on their mind - one of many shallow things." He was certain she was nodding, could see it from the corner of his eye. "Therefore, no one who was...just like you."

She was silent, as if stricken speechless, making him wonder if he should tell her more, when he was conflicted about how unfair it was to even tell her his feelings when they both knew it wasn't going to be permanent. He had no future to offer, so he could just leave everything unsaid -

Thunder cracked overhead, and lightning chained across, followed by shattering rain from those clouds so heavy in streams that they stung like hail touching bare skin. No time to escape this drench, so that meant they were both soaked to the bone. The trail was also slicked with mud, but there was nothing else to do except keep moving and suffer until they found the cabin. Hanaru was shivering almost like it was death. Itachi, on the other hand, felt the same but was assured they were safe in terms of the men after them.

"Oh, it should be here," she said after a couple minutes, pointing ahead. "Ahead and through those trees, if you can see it."

Itachi followed her arm, and the first thing he saw was a glimmering windowpane reflecting off lightning, but then it was crystal clear when said trees merged as they approached, surrounding what was none other than the cabin with its smooth logs, sturdy roof and covered porch. It could very much blend with the surrounding maple. He finally brought Son Gokū to a halt, and Hanaru hopped down. "Take care of him while I get the key!" She rushed ahead of him in the rain, mud and water splashing from the trail at her feet. She raced ahead to the porch of the cabin which her grandfather, Tsunade's late husband, had built for fishing in the family.

Itachi didn't need to, but he drew out his revolver as a precaution, though the cabin looked pitch black and peaceful, with no signs that anyone else was inside or had been. He dismounted from the stallion and led him forward by the reins. Behind the cabin, he found a sheltered area for a woodpile, for fires, and tethered Son Gokū safely out of the storm. Going back around, he found Hanaru who got the key and fumbled with the lock until she managed to get it open despite the subzero drench. The chattering of her teeth was audible to his ears.

Their clothes were streaming water as if they'd been pulled out of the washer, and the sooner they were inside, the better. But when that happened and before he knew what transpired next, they were holding each other close; he could still feel her trembling through his soaked flannel shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and took her further inside the cabin. Two pairs of chilled lips found themselves together, and as time passed, their nerves became warmer to the point of hunger and the desire for fire. Her body strained against him, head tilting back, and heat surged between them as well as down to his manhood, lighting up the bonfire. And the tighter her hips pressed against his, he groaned and inwardly cursed at what they were doing when they had just gotten to temporary safety.

Itachi stopped this moment and rasped, saying they had to get warm. She agreed with him, nodding slowly and numbly, and her nipples were clearly strained against the thin fabric of her dress, intensifying with each breath she took.

When his eyes got used to the dark, he made out the table with chairs, a potbelly stove - the cast-iron possibly rust-colored while the rest was slate-black - and an open-shelved counter. And beyond was a bed with double sides, for _two people_, covered with a scenic coverlet of reeds, a setting sun, and a pair of cranes all in neutral and earthy tones. Hanaru breathed, shaking still, as she reveled momentarily at the sight of one of her childhood places. Then she cleared her throat, telling him where the wood for the fire was, so that they could start getting warm. Grunting and swallowing, he nodded and made way for the stove, refusing to dwell on the other method of getting warm together.

Being here alone with her in this dark, secluded cabin and with a _bed for two_ was going to push his limits.

The stove would not send smoke into the air and attract attention from afar, especially if her grandmother or her parents were to see. Plus, this storm was going to prevent any. _And if this rain stops soon, then we both head back down so I can get her home. _

Add that her father put in a cap so that birds wouldn't nest in the chimney, which was another blessing. He found matches to get the logs in the pit going. The damper was checked, then the front gate opened for the logs and matches, and he finally closed and locked the gate itself. Behind him, Hanaru came closer and huddled, bringing her knees to her chest. Even that didn't stop her trembling; she was not going to get sick on his watch before he got her back home.

Itachi gritted his teeth for a second before forcing the words out after loosening them. "I shouldn't suggest it, but perhaps it's for the best we both got out of our wet clothes and then wrap up in a blanket while they dry." _Damn right, I shouldn't have said it. But what else is there to do? Just like the time you did so while you watched over me in my fever..._

"Yeah, you're right." She shakily stood up then, and he joined her, turning his back to her and heading for the bed to grab the woolen cover beneath the scenic blanket, bringing them both back and giving her the softer one.

He kept his back turned while she set about undressing herself. One look would just make him lose his sanity. Except the mental image as well as the real one before him would still provide the same craziness.

~o~

If she was going to do this, she had to get away from the stove's light and into the shadows. Itachi turned his eyesight away from her, acting like a gentleman without her asking him. She shrugged off her thin, wrinkled white blouse and wrung it out over a bucket she found. Behind her, there was the sound of Itachi undressing himself and laying his gun down somewhere, his boots thudding the floor.

He was distant now, ever since their kiss at the opened door. Foolish Hanaru thought there would be more after that, but she knew by now to understand. _He really wants me as much as I want him, but he needs to make a clean break so that there are no promises to break or a future that leaves me with a tarnished reputation. _Sometimes his intentions were TOO noble; didn't he realize what she wanted, that this mule-headed man was the love of her life with every fiber of her being? That she needed more than just a few kisses which would only be nothing but memories?

When the rain would stop, he was taking her home on Son Gokū. It would spare her getting into trouble, but that meant taking a nice, hot shower before Mama Kushina noticed anything adrift, and also asking Grandma Tsunade to be forced to keep her outing a secret.

Even when she did come back to this cabin, Itachi would be gone. She'd see the stallion gone, speaking of the way he would fly like the eagle. But if he couldn't get out of Konoha by the road, then these mountains were his only option, living off the land until he found the refuge he was looking for...

...and never to come back to her.

Now that her hands were getting warm, she was out of her dress, but in her haste tonight, she had no time to put on underwear, so underneath cotton was exposed skin. Blanket wrapped around her, she draped her clothes over one of the chairs, near the stove to dry; Itachi had done the same and now had the woolen blanket around his being, the upper body revealed for her eyes. The fire's glow caressed his skin, making the rock-hard muscles a blend of rippling shadow and light. His long, wet hair reached the middle of his back, giving him the appearance of a statue made of bronze. Everything broke from the leash then and there at just the sight alone.

Hanaru's throat ached just by looking at him. Her heart pounded so strongly she thought it would break through her chest. Keeping a hold of the blanket around herself, she walked over to him across the rug and set about touching his back with both hands - the blanket wrapped around herself and knotted at the chest - the thumbs trailing up and over the groves of his spine. He shivered, but didn't pull away when he should have. Smirking, Hanaru boldly brought her hands around and caressed his ribcage, though the ribs themselves weren't outlined to have him labeled malnourished. He hissed when her palms rested over his chest, his nipples shrinking at the contact.

"So help me God, Hanaru -" he groaned.

"Shush up." She pulled him closer to her, her breath against his ear. Her lips trailed up and over his neck, then down over to where the base and his shoulder blades met. His breathing was now becoming quicker and deeper, his heart beating just as much as hers beneath her right hand; feeling this made her revel in the power she was experiencing, knowing she was giving all of this to him. They had but short, precious time here, and he was all hers. _And me his._

Maybe she was going to stop breathing from what she did next: her hands crept lower and lower until they found the waist of his wrap around, pausing because this was a brand new warning step which would not take them back to before. He was still shuddering, still hadn't said no. What added to the intensity was the crackling of the wood in the fire, the rain hitting the roof and glass windows, and then his voice broke through when she paused near the archway of his hipbones. Husky and gravelly.

"Do you wish to touch me, Hanaru?"

She swallowed once before whispering yes. "All of you. I want to, but I've never done this before, Itachi." She couldn't make out what he said, but it was either a curse or one last protest before surrendering.

His back remained to her. "There's nothing to be scared of. I'm here, and all for you." Then he raised a hand and finished the job for her by tugging the knot in the front of his hips - and down the wool went to pool around his ankles so that she saw _all of him_. First down those thighs and then back up again; he was naked in the firelight. But before she could say anything - including the outline of that magnificent rear - she felt his hand take hers and guide it lower enough to reach a certain part she hesitated to grasp...

_Oh, God, he's so -! And I'd seen male horses and bulls to expect something THAT big - but not with _you_!_

First came the rough brush of hair at the hollow's base, but then the smooth softness which gave way to a straining hardness. Her body was covered with heatwaves that threatened to send her crashing down. Itachi moaned, gently throwing his head back and letting her fingers move up and down to continue feeling and pleasuring him. Heaven help her, she could not get enough of this man, and not just because of how he felt in her hand, but the flooding in her own loins, resulting in a simmering moist heat. The light clenching and the tingling that joined were assuring her feminine instincts that she really wanted this and could not turn back now.

Her blanket came loose and fell to the ground, and her body ended up against his back, where his taut ass pressed firmly against her knotted stomach. "Oh, Itachi," she breathed, "take me now..."

_I want this to be a night to remember by even after you are gone. _

He growled with some frustration. "You know better than to ask this of me. You have your whole life ahead of you. I don't want you to regret throwing this part away for a man you won't see again."

No matter, because she made her mind up, and that was final. "Then just give me enough but not everything," she pleaded, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "Itachi..." She carried on with the rest of his strength right at his neck, long silence following, and then he finally sighed.

"Come to bed then." His voice was soft but still with an edge. "I'll give you enough of what you need, but I refuse to stain the rest." And he meant taking her virginity, of course. He didn't want to do that, even though here in Japan, virginity wasn't much of an issue unlike the west, though that did not mean there weren't people today who felt it was a serious matter.

He stepped away from her, turning around then, and that was when she saw that one section she'd caressed which really identified him as masculine. But she was forced to meet his intense gaze. "Is this what you really want?" he asked, fiercely tender. Hanaru nodded desperately, the hot color touching her cheeks. He nodded, too, then walked over to the bed, pulling the lighter blankets down and then returning to reach for her hand. She joined him and placed it with his. The rain continued to spatter against the windows while the thunder made the cabin shake a little. "Hanaru, if things had been different, I would have stayed and courted you properly, then asked you to be my wife. Therefore, this is all I will be able to offer you tonight."

She was now beneath those cool sheets, all the while gazing over his aroused manliness, the powerful muscles in the light of the fire, his hair loose about those shoulders. This was beyond anything her deepest fantasies could have asked for. He joined her eventually, stretching out next to her and then pulling the sheets back around them, breathing, "Love, don't be afraid." He then leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, then another along each cheek. Little spasms burst from the simple contacts, but before she could reach up and hold onto his shoulders, he stopped her, telling her to let him do it. Itachi then drew back and continued to delve into her mouth, deepening this contact by teasing the inner linings. She lay back against the pillows, wildly in paradise thanks to him.

And just when she was going up to cloud nine, he just had to give her MORE.

His lips and tongue now lavished attention upon her breasts, shifting above her and then going to her throat where her jugular throbbed, before returning to the two peach globes. Her gasps subsided into soft whimpers when he found a nipple which hardened into a tingling pebble, its partner joining. _And oh, gods, I think I'm dripping onto the sheets! _This just made her want him to make her into a real woman all the more, but he firmly made it clear he intended to do no such thing.

Just moments ago, he had been under her thumb, but now she was under his. He was leading her into this new sensual world and teaching her so much more than she could have learned from her mom, Grandma, and even Temari.

He set her aflame with desire. With desperate need. "Oh, Itachi!" She yelped when his fingers found their way to the small, soft curtain that covered her sex, eventually finding the moist petals and parting them to find the bud in the middle which sent her to the farthest reaches of space, past the clouds she had been on.

Her legs opened so wide to let him in, thrusting herself upwards and out of control. His fingers continued to toy with her, making her moan and cry out while reassuring her that he wasn't going to hurt her...

...and then something else replaced his fingers which she hadn't seen coming at all.

Hanaru went just as wild like an animal in heat when his _tongue _came into contact. Her body clenched so tightly she thought she'd die happy just like this. The appendage from his mouth caused so many shockwaves that she reached down to clasp his head in her hands, trying not to yank his locks, and urged him on. She wanted more, _more_, MORE!

_Oh, Itachi Uchiha, I will never, _ever _love another like this for as long as I live._

Even as the euphoric moment ended sweetly and she was in his arms, the rain was still drumming a steady rhythm.

~o~

It took every ounce of his willpower to not bury himself into that honey sweetness and take her innocence, because that belonged to another man who would be her husband as soon as he was gone. He had to convince himself one more time that he'd done the right thing in giving her the passion she needed - _almost exactly the same as the first dream I had of her _\- but not finishing the deed.

The rain had ebbed perhaps in the late hours of the night when he roused to awareness, seeing the moonlight peeking through the glass. Water was still drizzling off in remnants on the glass. Son Gokū was also stirring.

_Time to wake Hanaru up and take her home._

He first smiled at the sight of her, taking in the curls over her face and framing it, as well as the delicate eyelashes and her pouty, ripe lips. The essence of love surged through Itachi as he would have done anything for this gentle, fiery young woman: fight for her, even die for her. But the best he could do now was let her go.

He was the first to leave bed, getting redressed again and then going outside to relieve himself as well as to take in the still-dark early morning. The first birds didn't rise yet, and the moon hadn't yet finished its cycle. The dissolved shower left behind a fine mist. _We shouldn't have stayed here together for that long. The sooner I wake her and let her dress, the better. Her parents will no doubt lose it when they find her missing again. They might lock her up in her room for a week at most, but I can't fault them for that decision. _

Then again, the path could have been dangerous if it had still been raining. But now, getting her home without being seen was a real issue.

He could see it working now before he roused her from her restful slumber. He would remain here and let her take back Son Gokū, let him be in her grandmother's care until further notice. He would not risk going with her during the daylight, and if Danzo Shimura and his bully boys were still out there, then the stallion would get her back faster on four legs.

He would be stranded up in these mountains, with what she told him was left - and it wasn't like he didn't know how to fish - but it was better than jeopardizing his beloved.

**Wiki: "A potbelly stove is a cast-iron wood-burning stove, round with a bulge in the middle. The name is derived from the resemblance of the stove to a fat man's pot belly. They were used to heat large rooms and were often found in train stations or one-room schoolhouses. The flat top of the fireplace is allowed for cooking food or heating water."**

**Hallelujah, the deed was done! (whistles) But the hot danger is still far from over, so stay tuned and REVIEW! :3**


	11. Something of Value

Chapter Eleven

Something of Value

She had been awoken after such a wonderful night, and Itachi had wanted her to take the stallion back down to her grandma's barn until further notice. Then later in the day, she could come back and pick up the mares to take home, so that there was nothing suspicious. If her parents noticed she'd snuck out or suspected a little hint, then boy, was she in for it.

Her backup plan to have Itachi come down and get Son Gokū was fraught with immense peril, but it was better than nothing. But _only _if she didn't come back for him.

Before she left him up there in her grandfather's fishing cabin, they shared a passionate embrace and one last kiss, him breathing that she should be careful and not take any chances, then called her his love before gently pushing her away and insisting she not look back, and she obeyed. Though she was positive he was still watching her even after she left.

In less than half the time it took to get up here in the late night during the storm - with the early hours of the morning still dark gray, no signs of the morning birds and with the moon still high enough - Hanaru finally made it back to Tsunade's ranch, and dismounted Son Gokū. Save for some skittish moments, the stallion was a dream come true, though she could have enjoyed it under better circumstances. There was just so much on her mind: _I'm going to remember every detail from last night for the rest of my life. How will anyone ever compare to that? We could have had a whole life together of that, so it's nothing but bittersweet. But still...it was magical. If only we made love to the fullest extent!_

If they'd done that, then that first time could have been what she wanted with the first and only man she'd love, but Itachi's damned principles were in the way. Part of her had wanted to - not consciously to the surface - conceive a child with him, which must have been one of his worries, and if that did happen, then she'd have a piece of him with her for the rest of their lives to love and nurture herself, and whether it was a boy or girl, she could have named it _Ren...after the water lily itself..._

Hanaru had to push these thoughts to the back of her head. She made it to her grandmother's ranch in no time, coming out of the woods through the back. Shimura and his men must have been drunk, so they were probably back in town and sleeping off a hangover, but she couldn't be too careful.

_I hope returning Son Gokū__ to Itachi works. I swear to God if it doesn't -_

Her thought process ended when she passed the orchard and made way inside the barn to tie the stallion in place, and as soon as they were inside after she opened the door, she was surprised to find her grandmother inside already, near the cow she must have been planning to milk as soon as dawn broke, and she had a cup of tea in her hands. "Oh, Grandma! I'm sorry for scaring you!"

"Hardly, after last night! But I thought you were that bastard and his buffoons," Tsunade snapped, though not directed at her. She took a heavy sip and swallowed hard. "I couldn't sleep after last night because of them, though I managed enough hours until now. And what about you, young lady? What are you doing back here at this hour - and with Tashi's stallion?!" Her eyes narrowed then and there, piecing it together even before Hanaru answered.

"Shimura's men were here, and it does have to do with Tashi." Calling him by his alias would suffice for now. "I took him up to Grandpa's fishing cabin last night to protect him. It was the only way."

And of course this would shock her grandmother, even make her a little angry. "_Protect _him? Are you not aware he's wanted for -"

"Yeah, but he explained everything to me, Grandma. He's not a bad man as they put him. He did it because there was no other choice. His father was - I can't put it into words." Hanaru shook her head, chilled to her bone as she recalled everything Itachi said. "He doesn't deserve what they will do to him if he's captured, Grandma."

"Agreed," Tsunade answered, though trembled. "But you spent the _night _up there with him!"

"Nothing happened. Itachi was a gentleman, just like you said he was. And not only that, it wasn't safe to come back down from the mountains, with the storm and all. He even let me ride Son Gokū back."

Her grandmother nodded, though she was still pressed. "But that means he is left up there without a horse - unless you plan to go back up there or let him come down himself, the latter being risky enough as it is," she pointed out. _What you don't need to add is that someone could go looking for him up there. _"Well, you'd better keep that horse here in the barn so that hawk Shimura doesn't see him; I know he is still nosing around as it is. It's gonna be all the more suspicious if he sees Son Gokū. And what about the mares?"

"I'll come back later today, if Mom lets me," Hanaru answered, and speaking of which, she had to hurry the hell back home before the dawn's first rays. On second thought, she could lie to Kushina and say that she left early before dawn, coming back on one mare and with the other by the reins, but that would mean an earful as to why she didn't take Shukaku. No time for questions today. Hanaru's knees were going out with relief that things might be okay today, but it was still far from over.

"Then you'd better hurry and get back home before your mother and father find out you snuck out!" Tsunade said tersely, firmly placing her now empty cup on the wooden shelf on the wall to her left. "I think I'll go ahead and start milking that cow since I hardly had a decent night's rest. Think maybe the girls are all set after the moon last night, just before the storm struck so late." Now a sly smirk was on that wizened face at the simple thought of the mating rituals.

Hanaru felt just a little better.

She raced home in no time at all, taking a few short walks as a break, and so far, she'd been lucky. She got home just as the sun was starting to peek, but no one was up yet at this time; she didn't need a clock to know that. She snuck in through where she came from, which was the back door, and then locked it. She had taken off her boots with haste before going inside and making it upstairs to her room.

Her hair was messy enough to buy the story of sleep, which could happen to anyone. Plus, her mother didn't have to know about her dress and blouse for the time being. But she had to hurry and shower before she was spotted.

By the time she was out and about to get dressed in her new getup - a beige plaid dress with the climbing roses up the left side for a feminine touch - before placing in her oval studs, followed by her turquoise pendant and cuff, it was perfect timing that Kushina and Minato were up along with Naruto.

One hell of a surprise came when Minato got them together at breakfast before they had to get busy: Kakashi and Iruka had arrived days ahead of schedule and thus would be here this afternoon, and that meant they had to get things ready. "I see you're already presentable like a lady," Kushina told her daughter with a stern quirk of a grin before it switched to a scowl at her son who was still in his pajamas with his hair mussed, not much different than his father. "But you two had better get going or else!"

"Really, sis, I don't see what the fuss was about," Naruto grumbled when they were alone, rolling his eyes. "It's just Uncles Iruka and Kakashi. They couldn't care less how we look, but Mom - and women in general with appearances."

Hanaru had to agree with him, but it wasn't as simple as all that. "You're right, little brother, but she does so much for us, so the least we can do is help her."

With that lecture given, she set about helping her mother around the house, such as washing the windows and vacuuming the carpets. The words she also took to heart, because she felt now should be time to stop acting like a rebellious teenager and start behaving like a real adult. Kushina had been born dirt-poor, was going to have a baby before she married her sweetheart, and was an extremely hard worker. The least she deserved was respect.

Sometime today, she would have to find a way to get that stallion back to Itachi, if she had the chance. Plus, now was a good time to get the mares back from her grandmother's, since Kushina brought it up and had known the moon was full. There was still time before Minato's friends were picked up by the man himself.

Hanaru rode Shukaku while leading Matatabi and Kokuō by the reins, and when they were back in the barn, the men of the hour arrived when afternoon rolled around. Even the house was spotless and the stove roasting with a fine large steak for the whole family to be sliced.

The first one out was none other than Iruka, ecstatic and brunette with his hair tied back - and that scar over his nose but running across one side of his face to the other. Right behind him, more calmly, was Kakashi Hatake who had a black cloth wrapped over his left eye, due to being shot in the eye when he was in service, and silver-haired. Iruka had briefly served alongside him before being relieved when it turned out that he could only last so long on the field...and had received the scar on his face which was caused by a streamlined bullet shot.

Iruka was the first to go up the steps and take all three of them into a bear hug. "Oh, Kushina, hot and spicy as a pepper as always, Minato said!" he said cheerfully. This made her blush so red it matched her hair. It was just like Iruka to playfully flirt, without harm done. "And Hanaru, I swear you're just as gorgeous as your mom - or more!"

"Seriously, the ladies always get the fun part - not that I wanna be flirted with!" Naruto said, folding his arms across his chest, before bursting out laughing when Kakashi gave him the head ruffle and a place right beneath his arm where the blond head stuck out.

"Iruka, seriously," Kushina growled, equally playful. "But boys, how was your trip?"

Despite gladly greeting Naruto the way he did, Kakashi appeared more worn out than his partner. But then again, two days and nights by bullet train was enough to tire anyone out. However, he might regain that laidback energy now that they were all here together. And Naruto - hair slicked and in a blue chambray shirt - enthusiastically greeted Iruka who was on the verge of releasing unmanly tears in spite of himself.

"There she is." Kakashi gave his attention to Hanaru, and she was more than willing to give him the embrace he needed around the waist. _This man who had been with us during that time in Suna - and rescued me himself._ "Well, you're beautiful as ever, but something..." His only functioning eye narrowed slightly. "There's something different about you that I can't place. But never mind; we can talk about that later." He released her and turned back to help Minato lug in the luggage, leaving Iruka to a world of chatting with Kushina and asking Naruto what he had been up to.

Tsunade also came to join them in no time. She treated these two friends of her son's as though they were also her own, but from time to time, her honey amber eyes locked with Hanaru's. The young one knew she was thinking about the secret they shared: about a certain man in the cabin.

The event happened to be nothing more than it always had been between them: food passing and small talk, Kushina's famous steak doused with soy sauce and roasted with vegetables. Said vegetables melted nicely in the mouth, creating a heavenly feel and taste. And it was so damned good that conversation was muted. And that was until Kakashi did the honors of tapping the table with his knife as he had an announcement to make, which seemed to make Iruka blush.

"Okay, we do have something to share with all of you, and believe me, it's something we never thought would be possible, but Iruka and I...in seven more months, we're going to adopt a new member into the family!"

_They're going to adopt a baby._

For a moment, there was a hush of stunned silence, before it was broken by joined laughter and congratulations: Kushina leaping out of her seat and rushing around the table to take both men into her legendary bear hug, while Minato awkwardly grinned at that while raising his glass of whisky in an informal toast. Naruto's eyes bulged into wide blue balls, and Tsunade laughed long and heartily, stating that she never thought it would happen with these two. That also meant a new baby before she died.

Hanaru was so stricken she had no idea how to think this, but part of her was laughing. As the saying went, the ones who really wanted to get married more than anyone else were same-sex pairs. There were some marriages of that manner, though not large compared to heterosexual, and not everyone was fond of that. Much like in the west.

And as celebration afterwards, it meant the summer's treat of _hakuto _jelly - flavored like peach - as well as battered, red bean paste-filled _imagawayaki_, and that left Iruka saying that he was so tired now he could go for passing out, and he took the guest room Kushina offered him and Kakashi. Ironically, Kakashi ended up being rejuvenated from the ride, and he went to help his partner unpack for their planned stay. Hanaru, on the other hand, decided to go outside because she just needed some air. Plus, she felt she could talk to Kakashi since he said, a long time ago, that she could talk to him about anything, anytime.

"Well," Kakashi said, exhaling as he stretched out on the long porch chair with her, "feels so good to be home again." He leaned his head back. "Your dad did a fine job keeping this ranch up all this time. I've known him since we were boys, watched him raise you and your brother, teach you right from wrong - and so much fun we all had in between." He chuckled nervously, which was still a habit of his.

"And now you are gonna have a family of your own," Hanaru said, wiping the corners of her eyes. She had never felt so happy for him and Iruka. Never did they give a hint that they wanted a kid when it was impossible for them to have one the same way her parents had her and Naruto. "What made you decide to now?"

"Well, it happened while we were in Kyoto. We saw a mother with two children, and Iruka just asked me if I felt like we could be missing something. Come to think about it, I did think maybe we were. So, we found out about a mother who had an unplanned pregnancy and was willing to give her unborn a better home than she would have given it." He sighed sadly now. "I admit, it's a bit nerve-wracking, but I think we can do it." _No doubt about it, and maybe you guys get to take the kid on all your adventures. _

Kakashi stood up then and held his hand out to her; she took it and stood up. "Come on, let's take a little walk. I said I noticed something a bit...off about you. I think maybe you've just grown up so much, but I could be surprised. You know you can talk to me about anything."

_Oh, maybe it is because of Itachi, but I can't say it right now. _But before she could speak, he was guiding her in the direction of the barn. "Maybe we can look at the horses. How about that stallion of yours I saw last time which showed a lot of promise - Kurama?"

Hanaru fought not to cry again at the mere mention of her prize's name. "Kurama was a beauty...but we lost him three days ago," she managed, aching in her throat, which he noticed and gave her a little rub on the arm as comfort.

And knowing he'd want the whole story, she told him about Naruto's escapade and the tragic accident at the bog. He shook his head. "Poor idiot," he muttered. "But I guess it broke him up like it did you." She nodded.

"Yeah, it could have been worse: Naruto could have been permanently hurt or killed, but Grandma's hired man caught up and yanked him off the saddle before Kurama went down." It was then that Hanaru mentally hit herself for even mentioning Itachi, if not his name. But the damned words couldn't be taken back. Now Kakashi was going to get all the more curious, and he would not back away until he got everything - and that meant she couldn't tell him all of which would jeopardize their family and the man himself.

Of course: "Really, the hired man himself caught up to a stallion like that? On what exactly, another stallion?"

"...yes. Same kind of horse, and it was so amazing. I managed to talk him into staying long enough for that animal to breed the mares. If it really took, we might have great foals by next summer."

Kakashi hummed. "Well, then, I'd sure would like to meet this guy. Though I find it odd that someone doing menial work would own some fine stallion like that," he said, then wound up disappointed when she told him the man was gone, had left perhaps last night. And if that wouldn't be enough, he would end up asking Tsunade who could tell him more about her hired man. _Talk about really getting caught up in the lie. _

"Makes me wonder why he would just up and leave," Kakashi said with a finger and thumb beneath his chin in thought. "That usually means some kind of trouble."

Hanaru shrugged with one shoulder. "He was a drifter, so maybe he didn't intend to stay for long." The more she talked, the deeper she was digging herself into a sand pit. And at the scowl on his face, she quickly acted with a change of the topic. "And Kakashi - how do you know that you're in love?"

For a second, he stared at her before bursting out into laughter. "Oh, so that's what it is. That must have been what was different about you. That mean you're gonna tell me about him?" Oh, hell, she had to act again.

"Oh, well, not yet. I just wanna know what's going to happen first before that big decision."

"Very smart. But is he really the good one for you? If your dad won't be available to whip him within an inch of his life, that's my job. We'll do that if anyone tries to hurt you."

"He hasn't done that and would never," Hanaru insisted, trying not to sound too desperate, which satisfied him. "I'm also not that young to be in love so quickly, and I've seen you and Iruka just like Mom and Dad."

Kakashi seemed sold enough, though his only remaining eye narrowed slightly. "Well, I can tell you this much: when it's _real, _you don't need to waste your time questioning it, but I can also tell you something else. The heart is a tender thing, Hanaru. It breaks very easily, but it can also heal up with a lot of work."

_It can break, but it can also heal with a lot of work. _

Now they were at the barn's doors, which were hers to open so that they saw the mares dozing in their stalls, perhaps too tired after their romp with the stallion the previous night in the paddock. It made her think of Son Gokū locked up in Grandma Tsunade's barn, and the dangerous errand planned for tonight. It left her reeling with questions: _Will I be able to get away without being spotted? And will Itachi still be at the cabin?_

Most of all: _how can I say goodbye to him for forever?_

She found herself blurting it out. "Kakashi, what if I said I KNEW I was in love? Your advice then, wise old man?" she teased, making him chortle and almost ruffle her hair like he did to her brother, before stopping since he knew women fussed about that.

"First of all, I'd start thinking if he were really the one, and if it's a yes, you gotta give it your all and fight for him. It may get your heart broken, but if it does, then you'll come out stronger and wiser from the experience as well as be ready for next time." His eye twinkled. "Better not tell your parents I said all of this, or else your mom especially will ride me out." Like hell she'd spill all of that.

His words of wisdom filled her with warmth, but she felt conflicted about telling him about Itachi. It could lead to just about anything, and there was a chance he could spill to her parents, or if he spoke to Tsunade, she might tell him more about Itachi - especially that he was wanted for _murder._

She had no idea how to manage tonight, because a load could happen. Her parents could call the assistant commissioner after finding her missing, or her grandmother could get concerned and tell the whole story. None of which would give Hanaru a safe time to get away.

But Kakashi telling her what love was made all the difference. But if he found out what was really going on, would he still be on her side or condemn her for following her heart?

_My God, and everything used to be so simple and clear to me._

She ended up going out so late, Tsunade heading home, and her mom and brother going to bed while Dad, Kakashi and Iruka all stayed up and got interested in a game of _shogi _\- actually, it required two players while one had been forced to watch on the sidelines - until the clock hit close to eleven. She waited until the sound of boots were silenced before she stole her chance.

Hanaru got back into the dress and her boots from earlier that day. She was going to get into a hell of a load of trouble for this if she was caught, but as long as Itachi got away safely, nothing mattered.

Shukaku was ready and saddled, having been let loose in the paddock earlier, and now she was reining him out, taking a route from behind the house and cutting to the far end of the barn. She had some flour and some other things from the kitchen stuffed and ready. Above them, the moon was waning with the west side sliced thinly as a razor, with stars being pinpoints against black. The breeze was light but erratic, almost like the breath of an injured animal. Tension was everywhere, and not just within Hanaru herself. Even though nothing seemed out of the ordinary for the moment.

That did NOT mean danger wasn't abound.

She eventually arrived in no time at her grandma's barn - Tsunade's house was dark and absent of activity - where the geldings were sound asleep, and the stallion himself was alert and aware, nickering softly as he saw her and Shukaku come in. Hanaru dismounted her ride and led him inside; her plan was to take advantage of Son Gokū's speed while she led Shukaku by the rope, and if trouble arose, she would let go of the gelding so that she could pick up speed. Shukaku would know the trail and therefore the way home. _But if I have anything to say about it, nothing will happen. All I have to do is give Son __Gokū__ back to Itachi, kiss him goodbye and then go home._

And what happened after that was all on Itachi, because there was nothing else she could do to make him stay. But how was she going to live with all of this now, despite what Kakashi said?

~o~

He was standing on the porch underneath the shadows, gazing up at the moon and stars while waiting for her. His instincts had improved to the level of an animal in the past three months. He'd identify everything from a snapping branch to a horse's steps and nickering, all of which would have him on edge. But tonight, it was listening for Hanaru.

All day he waited for her, his mind racing with the memory of her from the previous night: the sensation of her quivering beneath his touch, the petal silkiness of her skin, the sensual scent and her nectar on his tongue as he brought her to the first greatest climax she had. As if that hadn't been enough, he wanted more - to just thrust into her sweet heat and bring her to that edge with him, back in the bed beyond that front door.

Except that wasn't enough, against his vows that they had no such future together. He wanted a whole lifetime with her; he knew she was the one and only, no matter how foolishly romantic that was. _Who wouldn't want to wake up to a face like hers, show her more of the world and build a home together as well as fill it with children?_

It was all in his reach, if not for the fact he was being forced to run away from her.

Tonight was when he would run away, after saying farewell to her. What they had would become nothing but a flickering memory, like a small flame in the candle that would extinguish on its own when the candle's time was spent.

He heard the galloping steps in the distance amid the faint gusts of wind. Part of him wanted to go out there, but he resisted it. This cabin had been here long before he came; people in the community - including Shimura - would know about it and likely be coming up here.

The cabin was dark, fire extinguished. If Shimura and his apes were back, he was going to hide in the darkness - but when he peeked out the window, he saw not only Son Gokū, but a familiar gelding held by the rider on a long rope, and that rider happened to be - "Hanaru!"

He wasted no time rushing out to her. When she saw him, the sound of her sob reached his ears, which broke his heart. As soon as she was off the saddle, she thrust herself right into his arms. He held onto her more tightly, placing kisses to all the right places. She must not have been followed, because she wasn't stupid. He knew that well.

"We don't have much time, Hanaru. I have to leave before daylight, and you need to go home."

"I know...but I wish things were different," she croaked, letting him go and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Just...please be careful. I'm never going to love another like you."

Now that made things so much harder. He swallowed the tightness in his esophagus. "Don't say that. When I'm gone, you'll find someone better. Someone who you'll marry and have a family with, and you'll forget all about me. I can't take you with me to wherever I will go."

Hanaru drew back further as if he'd struck her. Her nostrils flared as did her temper. "Fine!" she spat. "Then take yourself out of here. I refuse to get on my knees and beg you. Get your ass out of here if that's what you want!" That was no different than that day he rejected her before he buried her stallion. She then turned her back to him, spine stiff with wounded pride. Somehow, this was what he had aimed for, and being on angry final terms had to be easier than sweet sorrow.

Itachi had all his gear saddled on Son Gokū's side, repeatedly telling himself that remaining here any longer wouldn't make the pain any less than before. He wasn't a fool to assume her anger was radiating less in heatwaves. When he was done, he settled in the saddle, and Hanaru was still in the back-turned position.

Without a word, Itachi swung the stallion towards the overgrown trail that led to a ridge he'd scouted for and discovered only earlier. Death couldn't be any worse than this -

He got no further than half the distance when he heard her shout to him, though not by his real name. Despite assuring him no one was on her tail, she couldn't take the chance. He didn't turn around, not yet, but he did bring the horse to a halt.

"TASHI!"

~o~

Her pride broke when she couldn't keep it in anymore. Her heart felt as though it had suffered a shot to the chest, because how the hell could they say goodbye in anger and frustration like this? _I don't want them to be the last words I say to him, in case something DOES happen to him before he goes elsewhere._

He stopped the stallion but didn't turn around, giving her the chance to stare at his proud shoulders - _he must be struggling internally _\- and long moments passed before he did turn around and jump off the saddle to run back to her just as she started his way. She still intended to let him go, but this time would have nothing but love and support.

Itachi left Son Gokū next to the cabin, then caught her and held her close, crashing his lips on hers in that searing kiss which let all sweet hell break loose. It brutally engulfed her, from her belly to down below, and she buried her hands in his long hair which he let loose tonight. No one would be holding back tonight, because she was his woman, and there was nothing she wouldn't give him.

He wasn't going away until he claimed nothing less.

No need for talk, and no need for boundaries.

He brought her into the darkness of the cabin, the door closing in on them so that he bolted it shut. _Oh, God, I'm going to have his hands and lips on me again - and so much more this time. _

She tore open his shirt, breaking off a button in the process. He ended up dropping her not too gently onto the bed, while she was going for his belt buckle. There was nothing more or less for him to remove of her except the dress and lack of undergarments, as well as her boots. He paused everything only to take off his gun and lay it down on a nearby chair.

Everything was on the floor now - actually, she was naked while he still had his jeans on, in case danger did approach, so it was unwise to have his guard lowered - so there was nothing but skin between them. Aching for his kiss, Hanaru pulled him down to devour her again: from her lips down to her breasts, and for his hand to ghost down her stomach to where she was dripping. She wanted more of those sensations, wanted ALL.

"Itachi...I want nothing less than you inside me," she rasped.

To her surprise, he didn't dare to speak his morals. And the fact he didn't undress all the way wasn't important, just that he was making her his on their final night. _And the moonlight through the window outlining his muscled silhouette is everything._ He climbed onto the bed with her, her legs parting for him to situate himself. She whispered the words in the blackness of the room: "I love you, Itachi."

"I love you, too, Hanaru. No matter where life takes us." He leaned over again, kissing her more, all the while taking his sweet time to find where he'd join with her, and when his jutting length found the moist folds and opened her up, he was ready for the intimate press - and that was when Hanaru felt the slight tear and little bit of pain she'd been warned about.

At first, it did hurt, but eventually, it was gone when he began to pull in and out. The insides of her nerves were so sensitive that she arched up and into him. She saw stars and maybe a flash of color like the rainbow.

He really was like a stallion, riding and taking her to a place she never thought existed...and when she did reach that place, a spark burst like a supernova, blinding with brilliance. The jerking shudders of her body along with his and a warm, wet heat entering her were enough to lay them down into a loving embrace and brief slumber before that blissful completion had to come to an end.

He woke her up eventually, reminding her she had to go home now before daybreak, and that he had to go, too. Reluctantly and sadly, she had no choice but to redress with him, then go outside with him so she could get Shukaku and they would make way for the trail.

Their time was so short and precious that him leaving now wasn't a new worry. _I might get pregnant by him, but if I do, I can't contact him at wherever he will be. It means I have to just make up a story and never tell the child who its father was. _

Part of her was positive having a baby from Itachi wouldn't happen, as she was due to have her course in a few days, but even if she were surprised, she refused to be ashamed.

He had to straighten out the cabin himself before he left, so he'd put the key back where it was, therefore meaning she'd be the first to leave this place. Before going, they shared a proper goodbye and a kiss along with him telling her to not look back. _You'll be in my prayers every night, I'll be the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing at night. _

She had her shoulders squared as she got on Shukaku's saddle and rode away, fighting to not look back. That was the last she'd seen of Itachi Uchiha.

All she could think about was what could happen to him without her as he journeyed through these mountains if it rained again: him being cold and wet, little choices but to stay out of sight until it was safe again, and that also meant trusting no one for sure. That meant anyone who pretended to be friendly could turn him in for the reward money. He'd die or something without HER.

_Maybe if he's lucky, he should make it to someplace like Kusa. Plenty of earth and nature, and no one gives a damn about your past. I've heard of enough of that. _

The best she could do was follow through on the promise of staying safe on her family's ranch, finding someone who was grounded and sincere, give her the family and security she deserved.

Her tears were scalding her cheeks, but now that the wind picked up, she could feel them drying a little. The sky was still dark, the stars still twinkling but less of a comfort. The trees whispered. Even the gelding was walking at a brisk pace; she could be back home in no time, and when she returned, she would renew her ways in being a more understanding sister, more obedient daughter, and less of a burden as well as more of a real help -

Her thoughts ended as soon as she felt IT latch around her throat: a hemp rope around her shoulders and then her neck. First, she screamed and then choked for precious breath, then was jerked off Shukaku who continued to run down the path even after she was flung down hard into the trail.

Moments to pass were enough for her to recollect herself, but when she did, a certain half-bandaged face loomed over her. "Well, well, it's a fancy to see you here, Miss Uzumaki."

_Danzo Shimura._

**Wiki: "**_**Imagawayaki **_**is a Japanese dessert often found at Japanese festivals as well as outside Japan. It is made of batter in a special pan (similar to a waffle iron but without the honeycomb pattern), and filled with sweet azuki bean paste, although it is becoming increasingly popular to use a wider variety of fillings such as vanilla custard, different fruit custards and preserves, curry, different meat and vegetable fillings, potato and mayonnaise. **_**Imagawayaki **_**are similar to **_**Dorayaki**_**, but the latter are two separate pancakes sandwiched around the filling after cooking, and are often served cold."**

**Oh, God, now Hanaru is in major trouble. :O Stay tuned for the next chapter. We are almost at the end!**

**LOVELY REVIEWS APPRECIATED IN EQUALLY LOVING DETAIL!**


	12. The Gallant Hours

**Trigger moment in here, but it won't last, I promise.**

Chapter Twelve

The Gallant Hours

Checking the cabin a final time, Itachi ensured the bed was smoothed as if no one had ever been in it, swept off the muddy tracks and placed fresh wood in the stove. He could undo all of this and make sure it appeared as if nothing happened...

...but the same could not be said for what he swore he would NEVER do to Hanaru.

_You should have left well enough alone, you fool. She may not right now, but someday she will pay with her anguish for gifting her innocence to a man she will never see again. _That voice lectured him yet again, but he countered back with his own defense: they did it out of love and willingness, and if he had turned her away once again, that cruelty was something he was sure to regret himself more than abandoning her. He cursed at himself for this, for trying to rationalize everything. It was something he'd done all his life.

He could no longer resist the hunger of his masculine arousal, nor could he ignore the strong red thread that was going to just keep existing after they moved on with their lives. He had desired to make her his in the only way he could, and her need and shared feelings had sweetened it all. But for that, and because she was the most precious thing in the world, he deserved to be tied to a post and whipped for doing this to her.

Itachi had no more time to dwell on this. If he fast-tracked out of here, he could avoid running into someone who might recognize him from the poster.

Son Gokū was still waiting for him, saddled and loaded with his equipment. There were a lot of trails to choose from, but the route he found before Hanaru called him back showed promise. It might take him away from the valley, and he'd be in for some roughing up in the mountains, but the provisions she left him with would last maybe a few days, so he had to handle them very carefully. He had to just take a day at a time, and if he ran out, he would ration from any streams he could find.

But as soon as he mounted his stallion, he heard a scream in the distance - _Hanaru!_

On instinct, Itachi wasted no time leaping onto the saddle and riding Son Gokū in the direction where he heard the horrible sound. He worried the gelding might have been attacked by a wild cat, or that his rider was flung out of the saddle by accident, but he doubted the latter since Hanaru knew how to handle that beast as much as she did Kurama when he was alive. He fought so hard to not think about the horrific possibilities...

...and it turned out that he didn't have to go very far when a certain voice stopped him cold after he zig-zagged down far enough.

"Uchiha, I would hold it if I were you. Miss Hanaru is in custody, and she will remain unharmed as long as you do exactly as I say." _Shimura. _

Itachi remained stiff on the back of the stallion who nickered to mirror his inner distress. "I'll agree on the condition that I know she is all right. Unless I hear it from her, I'm coming for you myself!" he shouted back, keeping as calm as he could, and seconds later, he heard scuffling and HER voice.

"Itachi, just run! He's not going to dare hurt me, because my family would -" She was cut off by a slapping sound and started to cry, the sound wrenching his guts and making him itch for his gun, even when that bastard growled at her to shut up if she knew what was good for her.

"Now then, Uchiha, you will throw down your gun, then get off that horse and come down the hill with your hands in the air."

Part of him considered throwing something else downhill, such as his canteen of what water he had left, but on the other hand, that would further endanger Hanaru's safety. Besides, Shimura couldn't be fooled by something so trivial as this. _Damn it, I should have seen this coming right away. I should have known he would show up. After all, he is a civilian as much as anyone else up here, so he must have known the trail as well as Hanaru did - and that also means following muddy tracks here. _Growling through his teeth, Itachi unstrapped his revolver and angrily threw it down as far as he could so that it could be seen. He should have kept it at a close enough distance so that he could recapture it, but there was a fat chance Danzo Shimura planned everything out ahead of him. The gun landed near a brush towards the end of the slope. The devil called back to him, "That's good enough. Now get off that horse and come down with your hands where I can see them. And no tricks, or else I won't be responsible for what happens to the girl." That man sounded like he truly relished being in charge.

Every second that passed, the more desperately enraging his boiling blood became. He dropped down and looped the stallion's reins around a sapling nearby. Hands raised on either side, he began to walk down this hill and towards where the voice was coming from, all the while deciding he wouldn't know what to do until he saw Hanaru again.

God only knew what Shimura was capable of doing to her.

Itachi's thoughts flew as soon as he saw where he was now, and that was when he saw her. It took every ounce of willpower to not snarl through his lips at the sight of Hanaru standing before her captor on a narrow part of a trail - with a forty-five-foot drop below. One end of a rope had her hands tied behind her back, and the other end went right around the maple tree trunk at the end of the ridge.

And between her and that tree was none other than five feet of slackened rope. This was the true danger: should anything go awry, Hanaru would be nudged by Shimura over the edge, and that rope would jerk to prevent her from falling all the way, but the man would have the option to either keep her there or cut the rope and allow her to fall to her death.

But there was one other thing, besides keeping her not even midway from the ledge to the drop, and it was difficult to say if Shimura failed to take it into account or really counted on it. The jerk would undoubtedly pull Hanaru's arms out from their shoulder sockets. The injuries wouldn't kill her, but leave her in excruciating pain and worse: leave her crippled for the rest of her life.

_Either way, you bastard, you have ways to "justify" what you're doing. Likely, you had her tied to keep her safe, and her fall would either be an accident or just all on her, to keep your grimy hands clean. That way, you had means to get a wanted murderer on your own terms; and since Hanaru has broken the law by aiding a fugitive, anything she says will be her word against yours. _

"Is this your idea of courage by using a young woman as a shield, Shimura?" Itachi sneered, seeing Hanaru's pale face and then the cocked pistol in the other man's hand.

"You would do well to shut that hole in your face. A murderous beast like yourself doesn't deserve to be taken down in a fair fight. Now get down on your knees with your hands behind your back before the woman takes a tumble."

Gritting his teeth, Itachi forced himself to lower towards the ground, glaring at the handcuffs that radiated off the moonlight. He began to concoct a plan to get out of this: perhaps later, while the chief inspector was taking him to the local jail, he could try to make a break. Given what he was enduring, there was nothing to lose, and he could choose dying on the run over being shocked to death or lethally injected any day. But what also mattered was Hanaru's safety and well-being.

His eyes made contact with hers, taking in the terror present, but she also was brave as ever. A real fighter never gave up until their last breath. Her defiance made him proud of her, but there was also such a thing as too much of it.

_God, I have never been so sick with fear as right now. _

~o~

The hemp was itchy and poking at her skin, tightened enough to slim down her wrists with blood. Hanaru tried twisting before giving up altogether in case she started to bleed out. _If only I could get free while Itachi has him distracted. _And if that worked, then she could do something like crown him in the head with a rock, push him off the cliff or at least find a distraction so that Itachi could get away.

This spot was dangerous enough, and one wrong move meant fatalities. This drop-off was definitely deep enough for a deadly land, and if she slipped off from here, she was in trouble if not from death, but she just HAD to try to think of a way to get far enough away from Shimura - before she was distracted momentarily by the glinting of cuffs the man produced. Not only that, but he had a gun, and he could shoot Itachi on a whim. Silently, she cursed in a way that would shock not her mother and grandmother, but the female ancestors beforehand.

_Itachi, why didn't you just leave when you had the chance? You would have been far up the trail by now, but you just had to put your life and freedom on the line just to come and save me. _

Danzo was getting closer to Itachi with the cuffs, and with the few feet she had between him and the tree, she had to do something - so she lashed out and desperately leaped forth, grabbing a hold of him with her teeth, sinking them into the exposed area of skin above the collar. He howled in pain, calling her a foolish bitch and swinging around for her, but she held on with all her might despite her disgust, tasting the saltiness of his blood which made her sick. If only she could spit it out and avoid the risk of HIV if that were possible.

Itachi acted now, jumping from his position and slamming into the man's gut; Shimura, in retaliation, grunted with the breath knocked out of him while keeping hold on his gun. But that didn't stop Itachi from grabbing his wrist and attempting to seize the weapon, using his strength to twist and turn - and a single shot ended up being fired into the air. The sound echoed in the air even as the two men continued to fight for dominance over the only hand-held firing weapon present.

Even it was getting harder and harder to hang onto Shimura with her teeth, for Hanaru was breaching the limit of the rope around the tree, and the strain made her release him so that Itachi could take care of him - at the cost of yanking herself backwards and being so close to the edge.

Her legs were working against her, but she managed to teeter on just the edge of the drop, finally throwing herself facedown for safety, except that wasn't the end of it. Her legs and feet were sliding towards that direction, and there was nothing to pull her to safety, so she had no choice but to scream for Itachi even if he were busy.

Even in midst of fighting, Itachi managed to get away from Shimura and rush to her side so he could pull her away from the edge, but while he rescued her, this got them both at a disadvantage, for the chief inspector regained himself and cocked his gun on them both. "That's more like it." He snarled through his teeth while rubbing and dabbing at the injured section of his neck with his free hand. "This means I shall turn you both in to the assistant commissioner: you, Uchiha, for murder, and you for aiding a fugitive, Miss Uzumaki. Get on the ground so I can get the cuffs on you." He meant Itachi, of course, and Hanaru herself was threatened to not do anything else foolish, or else she would get hers, too. Same with her man, since "the lady" would also get it because of him.

It destroyed her heart to see Itachi submit this time, his eyes fired up with suppressed rage. Even more with hatred when he was sprawled on the ground while Shimura manacled him from behind. "What about your friends, Danzo Shimura?" he sneered. "You just had the balls to come up here alone." _Now that you said it, yeah, you're right. _

"I need neither those drunken clowns or that fool Sabaku," the bandaged man snapped back. "I am capable of doing this job myself."

That made no damned sense, because while he still had to get them both down the mountain, it meant a lot could happen: Itachi could still try something, but that would leave Hanaru still at this man's mercy. But it turned out that Shimura had it figured out, such as riding Son Gokū and walking ahead with both her and Itachi on lead ropes - like a couple of hound dogs, which amused him to no end. And when he got them both in town, he'd recollect his own horse as well as the reward money on Itachi's head before hightailing out of this "no-good town". Hanaru had never been so shocked at the manner in which he called THEIR home a goody two-shoes kind of place.

"But you're an officer of the law!" she protested. "You can't just get the reward money!"

That tight, sinister smile was akin to a grin. "Is that so? Take a closer look, Hanaru." He shrugged that shoulder where the badge was supposed to be, and for the first time, she saw it was _missing._ That was NOT a good sign. "I resigned from taking in drunks for nights behind bars, and I have a brand new line of work that pays far better than inspecting this town and its citizens."

So, this was who he was now: Danzo Shimura - professional _bounty hunter._

It all made sense now: an officer in times of peace was bound by law and obligation, made to follow all rules of conduct. But bounty hunters lived by no rules at all, including those of common decency - especially since Itachi Uchiha was wanted dead or alive. Given Danzo Shimura would take no chances of his prisoner escaping him, he could kill his captive and make it appear as an accident, and it was always easy to fake the evidence. _It also means that it's easy to do the same for me, but I'd be probable because I am a witness to what he's doing. _

Her eyes and Itachi's locked, both knowing the same thing, and if they couldn't escape now, they'd both be dead by morning light. But he tried to give one last of his all. "If I were you, then I'd release Hanaru. She's not worth shit to you. If you let her go, then I'll peacefully go with you so you can turn me in for the reward." Of course, it wouldn't work.

"Let the little hellcat go so she could possibly tell everything, Uchiha?" Shimura's hand touched the place on his neck where she'd bitten him. "Not on your life; she's insurance policy. As long as I have her, you're on your best behavior. Now, get going so we can retrieve that horse of yours."

It was then that Hanaru saw the changes in Itachi as he obeyed at the single sight of the gun remaining on him. His eyes narrowed, his movements jerked a little, and there was the subtle biting of a lip. No one could hide knowing anxiety, which just confirmed what the bounty hunter intended to do to him, and because she knew this area well. That section of the trail where Itachi had Son Gokū not only was wider and level here, but it also ran along the top of a cliff which led to jagged rocks at the base..._and you know what would happen if a person fell on those rocks._

And with no witnesses - not even her from this distance - there would be those who would fall for the claim that Itachi fell on those rocks while trying to escape.

No way in hell would she be here just to ensure he behaved like a good boy. Hanaru had to do something, even if something much worse than being turned over would be in store. "STOP, BOTH OF YOU!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I have an offer to make with you, Danzo. Listen to me and think it over before you think about going up that trail."

Both men stopped then, Shimura's eyes narrowing while Itachi's reflected the desperation in her own, and the former halted in the walk while keeping the pistol aimed at his captive. "I'm listening. This had better be good."

"Just think about it: two thousand dollars can't be all that much money. Even the biggest spender could fly through that in no time." Now that brought forth the contempt in the man's eyes, and then it was changed to amusement and greed when Itachi had to interrupt her and pipe in that the stallion was at least ten times more, but even so, Son Gokū was declared stolen property, and Shimura would take him as his own right, unless the two of them could come up with a better one.

That left one last alternative, which amplified the situation and risked her family, too. "This isn't about money or even the damned reward!" Hanaru said angrily. "This is about the _oil_."

This made both men pause again and stare at her, and she went on, not giving them time to speak. "Your tracks were there, Danzo. You've seen it, and you must know it goes under Senju and Uzumaki land if its under that bog. I mean, you didn't come to my family's house with those flowers just to court me, did you?" Hanaru sneered. "Just right after my accident." She felt like she couldn't even breathe, but she forced herself on.

"I'll marry you on the condition that you let Itachi go."

This caused the man's single eye to widen slightly and Itachi to harshly gasp.

"We get the priest first thing tomorrow morning, and after that, my share of the land - and the oil - will be yours. You could have all the money you ever wanted, but without me, my father won't let you anywhere near it." She expected Itachi to object, cursing at her for this foolish decision, but it piqued Shimura's interest, except he added he was no fool to consider she could change her mind as soon as the "yellow bastard" was safely over the hills on his horse. "I swear you will not be betrayed if you agree to this."

"Hanaru, don't do this!" Itachi shouted. "I refuse to let you be condemned like this. He can have me; hell, he can kill me right here and now -" He was silenced by the butt of Shimura's pistol hitting the back of his head, and he crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Blasted fool," Shimura grumbled, shaking his head before turning his attention back to her. "So, you agree to be my wife then?"

"After I know Itachi is safe, and only that," she answered heatedly. "Nothing more and nothing less."

He seemed to be considering this, but that wasn't the end of it. "However, this is all too easy. Imagine if I were to receive the best auto in the country, I would have a demonstration before placing in the cash or credit. Wouldn't you agree, Hanaru?" _He's saying that he wants me to give him proof before he agrees to anything...oh, no. _Hanaru edged back further, mindful of the slippery edge while still tied to the tree. Now his gun was on her, and with his free hand, he was doing the one thing which made her so sick she forced herself to not look altogether.

"So, before I agree to your terms, you are going to demonstrate proof of your trust. Get down on your knees like a good girl and open that mouth, assuming you have done this before." He had the gall to hint she did something like THAT to Itachi, when he had no business! She furiously shook her head, trying so hard to not cry, and it made him scoff. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. Think of this as something you might grow to enjoy after we are married..."

He was fully exposed, but she still would not look, and continued to move back despite there being nowhere to go. But her mind had to urge her to do this for Itachi - and speak of the devil.

Itachi had somehow recovered despite the blow to his head, and he slammed right into Danzo Shimura's side when the man was too distracted by her, and the man began to scream as he was knocked off his feet and was sent toppling over the slippery edge of the drop.

His screams continued to echo as he vanished into the darkness of the pit. He might have hit some trees on the way down, and then there was silence and a startled flock of birds which burst into the sky.

"Oh, are you all right?" Hanaru managed to stand back up and lean against the tree. Itachi pulled himself away from the rim and got onto his knees; there was a little blood behind his head where Shimura's gun hit him. He uttered a raw, rough laugh.

"As well as can be expected. But I'm afraid he took the keys down with him."

And a hell of a lot of work they would have to go through next to get her loose first; he told her he had a knife hidden in one of his boots, and after that was taken out, then she intended to take him back to the cabin so she could find some tools to break those handcuffs and free him. But that chance would never come.

"Hanaru, would you really have married that snake?" Itachi asked her with a ragged exhale, to which she passionately trembled and threatened to sob.

"I didn't want to, but I would have done anything to save you. I love you so much, Itachi. I don't care if we don't get our happy ending, just that you were safe!" Except that was only half-true, and he knew it. "This is so goddamned unfair! You shot that man to save your mother -" She was interrupted when her ears caught a familiar sound: _horses!_

Itachi grumbled. "I hope to hell that they are friendly." If it were Shimura's dogs, then there would be hell to pay.

Those hooved sounds drew closer and closer, and there were also murmuring voices, but Hanaru's ears picked up the sounds of those voices, and her heart skipped happy and relieved beats. She wasted no time hollering out there.

"Daddy! Kakashi! We're up here!"

~o~

_Thank God...her father and his friend are here._

The two men came around the bend, trailing along with Hanaru's chocolate gelding. He recognized Minato, but the other with silver hair and a black cloth over his left eye had to be Kakashi, as she called him. Just the sight made him think of them as samurai on horses from the old days and in the stories he loved as a young boy, and knew he could trust them both.

But them being here meant he had to accept what had to be done. Because when he ran away from Tokyo, he had to keep running indefinitely, but the choices he made finally caught up to him. _Because I put Hanaru in danger by accepting her aid. And as long as I am here, she and her family will be compromised. _

For her sake, he was going to have this end. And for the past few months, he was haunted with facing death, but now he would endure it with dignity and courage.

Minato got down from his horse and rushed to his daughter's side, having a knife of his own, and he had her free in no time. She stood up and stumbled into his arms, crying, "Oh, Daddy, thank God you're here!"

Kakashi had one eye, and in that iris, the shine meant he deeply cared for his best friend's daughter and was glad to know she was safe. "How did you both know we were here?" Hanaru asked after pulling away from her father.

"Well, Shukaku, of course," Kakashi answered. "We pieced it together, and your grandmother helped, but she didn't want to break your confidence. She got worried about you."

Itachi stepped forward. "Gentlemen, all of this was my fault. I got Hanaru into this, and she was just trying to help me." He sighed when she jumped right to his defense, insisting she wanted to when he refused to let her get involved.

"He saved my life tonight, and if it weren't for him, Shimura could have killed us both."

At the mere mention of the name, Minato's face became a brewing storm. "Yeah, we found his body down there on the way up here. By the way his pants were opened, I guessed what he would have done, since I can see nothing happened. When we all get out of here, I want to know what the hell happened."

"I'm willing to explain everything," Itachi said readily. "No need for your questions. I'm wanted for killing my father back in Tokyo. His 'friends' put out a two-thousand-dollar reward for me, dead or alive, and Danzo Shimura attempted to collect it. Hanaru got caught in the trap when she never should have been; she was used as bait to draw me in." He ignored her fingers tightening around his arm.

Minato's face darkened further while Kakashi cleared his throat and nearly matched in expression. "You said you killed your father, but I know there's two sides to every story. Why don't you say more about your side, Itachi?" _Someone who knows better than to jump to conclusions and judge by appearances. _

He shook his head. "I wish, but Hanaru knows everything. She can tell you herself later." Part of him felt at peace for the first time despite awaiting his fate, because he'd been running away for so long. And it was time to finally face the consequences before he brought further grief to this good family, but Hanaru, as always, continued to persist.

"No, I'll say it now! That man was an abusive bastard, and Itachi did it to save his mother's life! Dad, Kakashi, you got to help get these cuffs off and we can let him go." Harshly, he cut in.

"No, Hanaru." He tried to be calm, but his heart ached so much for her. "I love you, but I can't implicate you and your family anymore. I've done enough harm as it is, and it's time I face up to it and let a judge decide my fate. Just take Son Gokū home and keep him in your care. And gentlemen -" He turned back to Minato and Kakashi.

"- I'll consider it an honor to be escorted to jail."

**Dun dun DUN! The enemy called Danzo is dead, but now Itachi! :O Next chapter will be the finale, so hold your breath and see what happens. If there are any tears of worry, don't hold back with the tissues, and if anyone is legal, feel free to get a strong drink or something. **

**REVIEW PLEASE! **


	13. Woman, Amen

**So, grand finale is named after the song by Dierks Bentley, and it's an awesome tune! :3**

Chapter Thirteen

Woman, Amen

Light streaked across the pewter sky by the time she made it down the foothill with Son Gokū at a steady pace. But in an hour, the sun would bring light to a very grim day.

Minato and Kakashi should be at the outskirts of town by now, Itachi mounted atop Shukaku with his hands still cuffed behind his back. She could picture them going to Rasa Sabaku's place, waking him up in order to turn over the prisoner and tell him about Danzo Shimura - and that would make Temari and Gaara witness to everything they'd see and hear.

She could also picture the four men and of course the assistant commissioner's children going right to the jail, the cuffs being removed from Itachi's wrist - and she could almost HEAR the sound of the cell bars slamming and locking as a final nail to the coffin. If she even managed to get to sleep, then she would hear that sound in her dreams and waking hours.

_But that doesn't mean I am giving up. Quitting in our family is unthinkable. I'm gonna do what Kakashi advised and fight for the man I love - and that also includes the two people who might be able to help him._

The foothills were right behind her now as she rode Son Gokū. It was hard to believe that this big guy was all hers now, being the most splendid gift she'd ever received...but it just had to be under the worst of circumstances. Therefore, it was far from joy that she was feeling, and because time was her worst enemy, her pulse pounded with everything it had. It increased when she arrived at her grandmother's farmhouse, where the woman herself was in a green dress and an old sweater, the braids her hair was in being frizzy, and her face was haggard in the rising light. She rushed down the porch steps as her granddaughter approached.

"Oh, thank the gods you're safe!" Tsunade exclaimed, helping her down from the horse and taking her into an embrace. "I've prayed for hours, but where are the others?"

Hanaru couldn't bring herself to answer right away. She took to looping the reins around the rail. "Dad and Kakashi took Tashi, because he let them. I gotta call Mom and someone else, but I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as I..." She took a few breaths, which was the answer for her grandmother: _catch my breath; that comes first. _

Tsunade nodded, lips pursed. "You should let me deal with your mother and I'll leave you with whoever this other person is. Assuming it has to do with...Tashi. I know that's not his real name." She shook her head. "I made the coffee in the pot if you want any." Hanaru really did feel like it, and the walk helped stretch her exhausted limbs. That also meant she ended up feeling something far better than what transpired earlier: the sweet soreness between her legs from Itachi's loving.

_No regrets, _she swore, _no matter what the days ahead may bring._

In the kitchen, her grandma had gone ahead, and the voice hinted talking to Kushina on the other line. Hanaru leaned on the counter and poured a cup of coffee before finding her mobile phone laying there, too. Her dad must have brought it with him. Time to do what she planned, but first, she mixed the black liquid with cream and sugar, and once she was alert and aware, she heard the morning birds with their first cries outside. Ironically, the dawn clouds were also gray.

Hanaru wasted no time picking up her phone and dialing for the operator, and the words slipped off her tongue, while her belly tightened with some anxiety. "Operator, I don't have the number, but I need to speak to...Mrs. Mikoto Uchiha, in Tokyo. It's an emergency."

It felt like forever until she finally heard the voice after the numerous clicking and static between operators - a throaty and low female voice, as if from crying or something. _"Hello?"_

"Um, hi," Hanaru said awkwardly, twirling one strand of hair around her finger. "I would like to speak to Mrs. Uchiha, please."

_"This is she. Who's calling?" _There was the clearing of a throat for composure. Hanaru did the same.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm Hanaru Uzumaki. I'm a friend of your son, Itachi. He's here in Konoha, and he's been...arrested."

There was a brief pause before a short cry of startle. _"Itachi?! What happened - and you said he was in Konoha? You can't let them take him away until I get there!"_ the woman shouted frantically.

Hanaru wasted no time telling her that she could take a bullet train, and to have the station manager call the Uzumaki Ranch so that someone could pick her up, and they could talk then. _"I'll be on the next train then," _Mikoto Uchiha declared heatedly, _"and I'm bringing my son AND my lawyer!"_ But before Hanaru could reply and ask why, the line had suddenly gone dead. She had to assume that the woman was bringing along her lawyer because it was a family one that she could really trust, based on the story Itachi had told her, but why did she have to bring her other son - _Sasuke?_

She set the mobile down on the counter, and looked up to see Tsunade standing there with her hands on her hips. "Well, looks like you have a lot to talk about, girl - but not without some breakfast in your stomach."

And over the rice and eggs, Hanaru did spill everything out to her, even telling her that Itachi's mother, brother and the family's lawyer were on the way here.

And when she was home by midmorning, she let the stallion loose in the paddock to graze at the grass while she calmed her paranoid mother. Afterwards, she bathed and had a change of clothes, while waiting for Kakashi and Minato to come home from town. When they did come back, Shukaku was led back with them on a rope. Iruka as well as a devastated Naruto were with her when they returned, waiting on the porch. She did the honors of going out there to them, accepting to take care of the horses for them. It was then that she noticed her father's eyes being weary with bloodshot.

"Is your mom all right?" Minato asked her. She nodded.

"I told her everything." _Well, not exactly everything. _As a result, she was still dwelling on her mother's words regarding her latest misadventure.

_"You're a grown woman now, Hanaru. Your actions are your responsibility, and they can have consequences good and bad alike." _It had sounded as if she'd understood what had happened, but it was more concern for Itachi than herself, and Kakashi ended up being the one to tell her that Itachi was locked up by Assistant Commissioner Sabaku, without trouble but with specific instructions from Itachi himself: she wasn't to come and visit him, therefore be seen entering and leaving the jail cell area.

"He really strikes me as being proud and decent," Kakashi said. "Your grandmother seems to also think the world of him. He didn't say a lot on the way to town to your dad and me, but we have every reason to believe what you said about him - right, Minato?"

"Oh, yeah." Minato answered this with a tired smile and nod. But Hanaru planned to tell them everything after a hell of a rest up for them both after the long night. And she reported the call to his mother who was on the way from Tokyo with her lawyer and other son in tow. "Good idea," Minato said.

"She also said to keep him here until she arrives, but would it be a problem, Dad?" she asked.

"No, it shouldn't be. Just paperwork required for extradition and the inquest into Shimura's death, which means he will likely be here for a week." His face became stern then, reminding her she broke the law with aiding and abetting. "But Rasa's willing to keep you out of it if he can, and Kakashi and I will testify that Shimura fell off the slope to his death with his pants undone, and with that, Rasa will definitely go along with the fact the troublemaker died while relieving himself off the cliff." _Almost comical, wouldn't you say? _But true or false, it was plausible. "He also says that he knows you were there, but understands a girl in love is entitled to a few mistakes."

Rasa Sabaku really was a wise man for his years, being maybe the youngest leading law enforcer in the town's history, not counting the old feudal days. Hanaru could hardly believe it, watching Minato and his friend leave her, and when they were gone, her knees buckled; she found herself holding onto Shukaku.

Her father had never been known to bend the rules the way he did. And her mother had not only forgiven her but set her free. _To have all this love is more than I deserve. They could have lectured me or took my phone away, sent me to bed without entertainment, but they understand me. And Dad said it himself that a young girl in love is allowed to make some mistakes. _

Add in the days that came and went, her period began, which dashed her hopes of having Itachi Uchiha's child - maybe a little prince who looked like his father, or maybe had all of his daddy's features as well as his mother's eyes. She had known all along it wouldn't be likely, so she would live with it now. And as a result, the sadness and yearning for Itachi and his loving touches continued to haunt her day and night.

The inquest into Danzo Shimura's death was without a hitch. Just as her dad guessed, it was ruled as an accident, and the corpse was released without a family to mourn and then cremated, the ashes scattered. And by this time, the former chief inspector's cronies were long gone from Konoha.

After the inquest, Minato picked up the repaired jeep and drove it home, and intended to go on horse to the bureau for the rights to the bog, leaving Kakashi. Hanaru waited all morning on the porch after helping her mother, and she helped her somewhat uncle unsaddle the gelding, asking if he'd seen Itachi at all.

"Yeah, we stopped by to see if he needed anything, but sadly, he wasn't at the inquest," Kakashi answered. He lifted off Shukaku's saddle to hang it over the stall. "Said he was doing just fine." She had to just disagree with him on that; Itachi would only say that if he was serious or if he were just miserable. Kakashi said it himself: the man was too proud to accept any kind of help, and she knew that good and well. She scoffed and ran the towel along the gelding's back surface.

"Did you mention his mother was coming?"

Kakashi hummed and nodded. "Yeah, and his reaction surprised us altogether. He didn't want her _or_ his brother involved in this - demanded that we stop her from coming if we could, but based on what you told us, Mikoto Uchiha sounds like more of an unstoppable woman than anyone would have thought. Makes me wonder why Itachi would want to stop her from coming with her lawyer." _Took the words out of my mouth._ "Might be his pride, or perhaps..." His brows creased. "...it could be that she knows something that he hasn't said. Some secret he would like to be kept hidden. Even if his story is true, and with no other eyewitnesses, she has to be the only one - and his younger brother. But all we know is that Sasuke Uchiha came in AFTER his father was shot dead."

That left one other option: she could go to the jail to talk to him herself. No matter that it would break her heart, but she could deal with it. And Kakashi also said that broken hearts healed with effort. No matter Itachi not wishing her to be here, because his pride wasn't protecting himself and her.

If he was sent back to Tokyo, he would still be either shocked in the chair or injected with an overdose. If it were possible, the trial could get moved to somewhere else, which had to explain his mother's attorney. She had to not get her hopes up just to be safe; even if he weren't executed, he could get the life sentence. "It's clear he loves you, but he just doesn't want to see you hurt," Kakashi told her with his warm hands placed on her shoulders.

But Hanaru couldn't accept this or face the truth, because love did NOT work that way. She wouldn't let Itachi be left as a lamb for the slaughter, not while there was a fight left to the end. And just like her mother always said, there was still more until there was nothing left.

Kakashi laughed when she persisted, saying they were both going over there, and he once again said she was so much like her mother in this regard. Though he also warned her that she could be sorry about this, and she knew what that meant: Itachi saying cruel things to try to keep her at bay, but she'd seen through that and understood. And whatever he would say this time, she'd know again, but that did not mean he would get away with it again.

His mother needed to be picked up, as she would arrive as early as tomorrow afternoon, so that meant her dad's newly repaired jeep was in order - only if Kakashi was trusted instead of her, based on last time.

And the next day, she was too anxious to even eat her lunch, so the sooner she and Kakashi were gone, the better. Iruka even wanted to see a friend of theirs in town whom he hadn't seen in a while - he was also told about Hanaru and Itachi's relationship, even swearing that he'd never betray confidence - and that man happened to be Might Gai, who was Kakashi's "eternal rival" in their high school football days.

Hanaru's stomach continued to twist in the ugliest knot ever; she started to think this was a mistake after all, since Itachi made it clear he didn't want to see her and that his mother never should have been contacted. There was a chance he could turn his back to her and ignore her off the bat even if she would keep talking. _But I'm not going to refuse. He's the most stubborn man I have met, but then again, I know how to be stubborn, too. _

_I will get to him even if I stand outside those bars all day._

The assistant commissioner's office was in front of the jailhouse, and there was Rasa Sabaku himself behind his desk; there was also Temari in hers, and after going through to her, she led them both into her father's area. The redheaded man smiled kindly at her and Kakashi. He rose up then to greet them.

"Your friend is back there in his cell." He was referring to the holding cells, which were temporary until the final setting. "But he won't be there for long. I received word that someone from the Metropolitan Police Department, with the extradition papers, is going to arrive at three-thirty in time to collect the prisoner and take him away at four." And just when things couldn't get any worse, could they? The blood all but drained from Hanaru's face. She threatened to not fall into Kakashi's arms. She needed to see Itachi and now, if this was true.

That also meant Kakashi had to distract the man so she could slip away. Rasa could have pretended to let her escape into the holding cell area, since he couldn't be blamed for that much, but he was just wary of the idea - until Kakashi smartly blocked the way to the hallway which led down to the holding cell area and got to talking casually about their football team pitting against the aggressive Kiri in the coming weeks.

Hanaru took the cue to duck behind her somewhat uncle and into the hallway. Under the cover of the shadows, she could hear that noise besides her best friend's distant whisper of good luck behind her - that noise in the background which was of a train.

~o~

He slumped on the metal bunk. Itachi heard the distant sound of that train, knowing it wouldn't be long. Assistant Commissioner Rasa Sabaku showed him nothing but kindness, as did his daughter - Hanaru's best friend - and briefly his son who was one of Naruto's best friends. _In another life, this town where everyone still smiles at each other and know each other would have fit me like a glove. _

The assistant commissioner had informed him that the Metropolitan Police would arrive with the extradition papers, then bring him back to Tokyo for trial. All he could do was hope that he'd be gone before his mother and brother arrived. Whatever it took, he would ensure they were kept out of this mess; the last thing he needed was Mikoto opening her pretty mouth and undoing everything he sacrificed for.

Itachi had been an active man all his life, so confinement really was hell, as proof when he stood to stretch his limbs. In the time after his arrest, he had plenty of time for his thoughts, and all of them involved nothing but Hanaru, none other. If only he could sell his soul for more time with her, but his soul was the only valued thing he had left. She was nothing but a torment day and night now. Except that didn't stop him from having the fantasy of the impossible: Hanaru as his wife, wearing his ring, sharing his home and bed, being the mother of his children...

...and speak of the devil, which made him hold back a groan. Not only that, but she stood there beyond the bars and a foot away from them. When he specifically asked the assistant commissioner to keep her away.

"Itachi."

Part of him wanted to say he was happy to see her, which was true, but he didn't. "You shouldn't be here," he said. Seeing her was adding to his torture. Didn't she understand now why she couldn't be here? _Apparently not. _

"Yes, but I HAD to be here. I don't care that we said goodbye before, and don't go telling me that I'll now remember you as a criminal like this, because we both know you're not." She took a shuddering breath. "You killed a man, defending someone you love. Any fair judge and jury could see that, like me and my family. If your mom's lawyer can get the trial moved elsewhere, then her story -" He harshly cut her off, not wanting to hear it anymore. He knew all along it was her doing that his mother was on the way here.

"Leave her out of this, Hanaru. She can't do anything but make things worse. Because of you, she's wasting a trip. Just go back home and to your horses, and forget about what you've seen." If he could just talk to her this way again, then she could burst into tears again and run away - but she didn't.

Now she was reaching through the bars, having taken a single step forward, and those hands outstretched in desperation for him - those dainty, calloused hands stained with hard work which he fell in love with the first time he met her. It made him feel like he was getting weaker, but he refrained himself and stayed planted.

"Hanaru, please go. I love you and always will to the end of my days. But don't make me do something I will regret from now on."

He finally willed himself forward and took both hands into hers, and her touch warmed him to his core. They remained like this until they both heard growing voices and footsteps on the wooden floors down the hallway. And they turned around together when the footsteps stopped and the shadows loomed in the doorway. Not only were there Kakashi Hatake and Rasa Sabaku, but no doubt the Superintendent of Tokyo.

She was a beautiful woman in her early thirties, having long auburn hair which went past her hips and was tied behind her neck. Her eyes were soft green and kind even if she were here on serious business. Her blazer and pencil skirt were both royal blue, somewhat lightening the place up, and around her neck was a waterfall of golden strands. "Mr. Uchiha, it's time to go so we can make that train." Her voice was very sweet and seductive, and who knew how many men could easily fall off their feet from that.

Itachi had no choice but to release his beloved's hands. She stood back and moved to be next to Kakashi. He let himself be handcuffed right after Sabaku opened the cell door to let him out. And he made one last eye contact with Hanaru, seeing her fight to not cry, turning to bury her face into Kakashi's shirt, and his arms wrapped around her as comfort. He was somber, too.

All of them were out of the area in a small, uneven procession - himself in the lead with the woman, Mei Terumi, on one side and holding him by the elbow, with Sabaku behind but on the opposite, leaving Hanaru and Kakashi in the rear - when they were all halted by the person who stood there at the end of the hallway, and Itachi thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Yet another striking woman, but one he knew far too well and had fought so hard to prevent from coming. Her hair, black as his own, was spilling in some ringlets from the bun she pinned behind her head. Her sharp and flattering suit was white with thin black, vertical lines, complete with an expensive-looking bauble of silver pearls, diamonds and chained fringes. Her onyx eyes were tired with a little bloodshot. And right next to her, the man with bright red hair and calm eyes held a briefcase in hand.

Mikoto Uchiha - _my mother _\- had arrived, but his brother had not showed up right now. That was a little less trouble, but no less than the trouble that was coming now that she was here. And her first words were for the superintendent. "Where do you think you are taking my son? Back to Tokyo?"

"That's the idea," Terumi answered, unintimidated and smiling when the other wasn't. "Now, will you please step aside so we can catch the train, Mrs. Uchiha?"

"That won't happen now that I am here. My son is innocent, and I can prove it." Itachi had to open his mouth as one last ditch effort.

"For God's sake, Mom -"

But then she smiled at him. "No, it's all right, Itachi." She turned back to Superintendent Terumi then. "My lawyer has the proof and signed confession today. Itachi didn't kill Fugaku." Mikoto then nodded to the young redhead who agreed with a single nod and no words. She squared her shoulders and faced them all again.

"I did."

~o~

So, the whole story was coming out, and it took a while. Kakashi had suspected there was so much more - _"some secret he would like to be kept hidden"_ \- and his hunches usually were on the mark. Now was no exception.

They were both allowed to stay and listen to the tale, Itachi now freed of his handcuffs, and Rasa ordered coffee for the four of them as well as Temari who was excused from her desk for the duration, and Mikoto and her attorney who was simply named Juugo, and of course Superintendent Mei Terumi.

At this time, the four o'clock train departed with two vacant seats. But it had been worth it.

All said and done ended up being this: Fugaku Uchiha, on the night in question, had been really drunk as Itachi told her, and had been bounding murderously on the bedroom door, threatening to kill his own wife. Neither of them knowing their own sons were home yet, Mikoto had no choice but to frantically act on her own, and so she managed to grasp her husband's loaded revolver from his nightstand and shoot him dead. Afterwards, hearing the shot, Itachi ordered his younger brother to hide away while he investigated, and when he saw the body as well as took the weapon from his shaken mother - who had the black eye and bruised cheek - he knew that possible murder charges would leave Sasuke without his mother, and plus destroy his future which he'd worked so hard to get for himself as he was still a minor until next year. So Itachi decided to take the blame to protect them both.

Weeks afterwards, Mikoto recovered enough to finally go to her attorney whom she managed to get on her terms, telling him everything. Juugo was confident of a possible acquittal for self-defense, but advised her to wait until Itachi was found and recovered to act as a witness. And it had been on a loose end with his missing status - until Hanaru's call.

Her emotions were a myriad ranging from relief to dismay and a little bit of anger. Itachi had sort of lied to her, never really admitting he murdered his father; after all, she finished it for him, and he just let her draw that conclusion. _You could have told me the truth, so why didn't you? I just thought I was doing the right thing, but you were willing to do anything to save your mom and brother - which is something I'd do myself. You were willing to trade your life for them. _

But it was for those reasons she was in love with such a man.

When the story was finished, shadows were still in the room if getting smaller. Itachi was going back with his family to Tokyo, to do whatever was necessary to wipe the slate clean. They were going to leave for the early morning train in the company of the superintendent and Mikoto's attorney. There was a chance the case could be weeks or months if not a whole year. And the Uchiha family - these two and the third waiting for them, which was a true family just like her own - were not going to take it easy until everything was resolved.

Itachi promised her he would be back when it was done, and when he did, he would lay everything he had down and ask her father for her hand in marriage, even when Hanaru happily - with tears, too - said that her answer was already yes, and he didn't even need to ask.

~o~

The trial for the murder of Fugaku Uchiha also went without a hitch, and Mikoto was acquitted. Exhausted, she left Tokyo and went to Kyoto, taking Sasuke along with her for the extension until he started college. But they did manage to head to Konoha for a big day they would not miss out on for the world - something Itachi had longed to happen and came so close to losing.

The following spring when the cherry blossoms were in bloom was when he and Hanaru finally married. The trees were green and fresh with those flowers, while the rest of the gardens were in renewed prime with splashes of springtime hues.

Iruka and Kakashi also came, with their three-month-old adopted son Sakumo - named after Kakashi's father who died a long time ago - in tow. So did Hinata Hyuuga and her father and sister, the beauty in silvery blue beaded with flowers. Itachi thought she was a perfect match for his bride's brother.

He was more than glad to accept the gift from his mother and brother, watching as Sasuke conversed and seemed to get along with Naruto, but he was certain there was going to be competition in the future because of their clashing personalities. He just hoped it wasn't going to end with bitterness. _Anyway, Mom's gift: none other than Son Gokū's pedigree. _

He and Hanaru were going to live not too far away from this ranch, on a section of land granted as a wedding gift by Minato. The house had been under construction since the harvest began and would be finished by the time they returned from their honeymoon in Hokkaido, complete with their shared dream of raising fine horses and Itachi picking up with his own consulting business.

Everyone was really busy. He saw the spot through the window of a guest room as he readied himself in his suit, with Sasuke as his best man and Naruto present. Down below was an arch shaped like a Shinto entrance, constructed of real tree branches, set with ivy, pink orchids, and red and creamy white roses. And the farm hands were setting up the chairs for the guests who were coming to witness. Plus, the window was partially opened so that the mouthwatering smell of the barbecue being prepped were caught in the senses.

"Come on, brother. It's just about time," Sasuke told him, and they were walking out of the room to head for the stairs, Naruto excitedly going down the hallway to tell his sister it was also time.

Standing under the arch and with Kakashi - who had himself anointed just to marry him and Hanaru - he found himself looking in the small wooden box at the two rings within: both being smooth rose-gold, small and delicate, but hers was placed with three tranquil blue crystals - _for someone who appreciates everything in their life_.

On his side was not only his brother, but eventually Naruto who was going to be his brother-in-law. In the crowd were the Hyuuga family but Hinata having gone to join her boyfriend's sister for the bride's party, Rasa Sabaku and his two sons - one of them having gotten back from overseas - as well as Iruka with the infant boy who was fast asleep in his arms.

Now the attention was on the bride approaching with Hinata and Temari ahead of her first, her father holding her hand to her left, and her mother and grandmother having taken their seats in the front row with Mikoto, Sakura Haruno also making the time to come here. But Itachi's eyes were on his woman and her only, Kakashi chuckling as he couldn't get enough, either. And it was like Naruto to sniffle and fight not to cry himself while Sasuke gave a single grunt of appreciation.

_That dress was her grandmother's, passed onto her mother - and now her. That sweet veil is long and framing her gracefully, her hair held up by a comb placed with a preserved white rose and smaller pink buds as well as clusters of blueberries..._

_...she's perfect._

A tender smile was on her face, mirroring his own, as she stood right in front of him and the girls behind her, both of them waiting for Kakashi to say the words that would make them man and wife with the cherry blossoms swaying in the breeze.

**Now that the story is all done, REVIEW! LOTS OF DETAIL! :3 And look for the upcoming final chapter of "An Offer She Can't Refuse" if any of you are reading that; both completed stories are my pre-Christmas gifts to all of you! :D**


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